The Quandary
by BaBaKaNuSh-13
Summary: AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. QuiGon didn't take ObiWan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N:** Sorry for all of you who had read this when I first posted it – I was in a hurry and didn't get to check my post, so consequently didn't get to see that I'd lost vital information and all the breaks in the transition between my documents and the website. Anyway, please review, even if you think it's really bad or if you have suggestions … or anything, really, just please remember that this is my first JA fanfic, and I don't have a beta for it, so don't be too hard on me, my nerves are frazzled enough already :). Think constructive criticism. Anyway, I hope you like.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 1**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan returned to their chamber to gather their belongings. There was a transport ship leaving in a few hours.

"Yoda has another mission for me," Qui-Gon explained to Obi-Wan.

_Me._ Obi-Wan felt only dread at the word.

Qui-Gon stood unmoving, staring down at his sleep-couch. A piece of paper had been stabbed to the cushion with a vibro-shiv. Obi-Wan crossed the room to read over Qui-Gon's broad shoulder:

_If you are reading this, I suppose I underestimated you. I won't next time. I enjoyed our adventure together, Master. I am certain you will have the pleasure of meeting me again._

Obi-Wan couldn't read Qui-Gon's features. He tested the Force, searching for the waves of the Jedi's anger. He felt nothing. Was Qui-Gon containing his anger, shielding from Obi-Wan, once again, from his emotions?

"I'm not angry, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Xanatos is gone from me. He is just another enemy now. The hate is all on his side. I am prepared to fight the evil he does. He may kill me one day, but he will never wound me again."

Qui-Gon turned. "You showed me this. In the mine, when you reached out with the Force and showed me how light can always battle dark. My anger left me. In the end, you taught me something about myself."

Obi-Wan stared at the older Jedi's boots for several moments, confused. When he finally spoke up, Qui-Gon was taken aback, the boy's voice uncertain and small, so unlike the bright, outgoing boy he'd come to know over the past few weeks. "What am I to do now? Where am I to go?"

Qui-Gon hesitated. 'Back to the Agri-Corps. They are in need of farmers more than ever, now."

Obi-Wan swallowed and bowed his head, hiding his disappointment, before looking up resolutely and nodding in acceptance. He grabbed hold of the small travel bag full of his few possessions and walked out of the room, his head held determinately high, though Qui-Gon could see the dejection in his eyes. He turned back around before leaving.

"Goodbye, Master Jinn. May the Force be with you."

And with that, he was gone, the door swishing calmly shut behind him.

Qui-Gon couldn't help but feeling that he'd just made one of the biggest mistakes in his life. He picked up his own belongings and made his way to the transport that would take him to Riskala, where he would oversee the yearly coronation of a new King.

As his luxurious ship lifted off from the ground, seeming odd in the dusty, weather-beaten surroundings, Qui-Gon sat at the window to peer out. He watched the small planet of Bandomeer grow even smaller beneath him, and ignored the Force's warnings telling him to turn the ship around.

It was too late, now. Qui-Gon's mind was made up. He would never take another Padawan, and not even the Force's influence could make him change his mind.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Master Xanatos, sir," the exceptionally short, stout human captain bowed stiffly, looking rather uncomfortable in the small, yet state-of-the-art star cruiser: Xanatos' pride and joy. It was common knowledge that the last man to even spill a single drop of Corellian wine on the lavish carpet had been abandoned in the middle of space, left with only a litre of air in his breathing tank to live on. The entire crew had been forced to watch as the man had slowly suffocated, silently mouthing cries for help which eventually culminated into his begs for death.

Neither mercy was given to him.

"Report, Captain."

The Captain shuddered but lifted his head and held his chin high, sweaty hands clutched behind his back. "Bandomeer is still in tact, sir."

A wry smile spread across Xanatos' pale face, and he merely nodded his head. He had known that already, since he had not felt the customary void in the Force that signified the death of an entire planet. "And Qui-Gon Jinn?"

"He departed from Bandomeer a few hours ago, sir. Alone."

Xanatos' eyes lit up at that, and he leant forward in his chair interestedly. Alone. He was sure he'd have taken the Kenobi boy with him. Apparently not. "Where was he headed?"

"Riskala."

Xanatos stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Turn the ship around. We're going back to Bandomeer," he said abruptly, making the Captain jump to attention.

"But sir–"

"I want that boy!" Xanatos yelled, cutting the Captain off. "And by the Force I will get him. Now turn the ship around, or you'll regret the day you were ever born. Do you understand me, Captain?"

"Yes sir. Very well, sir." The stout captain bowed deeply, visibly shaking, and hurried out of the room.

Xanatos smiled in satisfaction. He could see Obi-Wan's potential. It surrounded him like a thick shroud, remaining virtually untapped as of yet, even if Jinn was stupid enough to ignore it himself. Kenobi would be his in no time. With Jinn around, it was almost impossible to get to the boy, but alone the young Jedi would practically play into Xanatos' hands.

And his revenge against his former Master would be all the more sweeter with Kenobi by his side.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon sat back in his chair with a sigh. He was on the ship to Riskala, and although the trip wasn't a particularly long one, with only around six hours' worth of travel, it seemed as if it was taking forever, each tick of his old-fashioned chrono seeming to take at least five times as long.

And all he could think about was the dejected face of the boy whose spirit he'd broken.

Qui-Gon sighed again.

It was strange. As many times as he'd had to tell young Jedi that their future lay on a different path to that of a Knight, none had ever been so distraught … so hurt, as he'd seen Kenobi. It wasn't pride that had made Obi-Wan react so, Qui-Gon thought, nor weakness, but none had felt the disappointment as keenly because they all had known, deep down, that their futures lay elsewhere.

But Obi-Wan didn't know that, because he could tell, and as Qui-Gon would reluctantly admit, that the boy was never destined for a farmer's life.

As much as he absolutely knew Obi-Wan would make an exceptionally strong farmer, with his Force capabilities, commitment and absolute determination, Qui-Gon could safely say that it would only be a waste of the boy's talents.

He was born to be a Jedi Knight.

The boy was a Jedi through and through. Even as Qui-Gon ruthlessly smashed all this dreams into a million tiny pieces, he'd held his head high and parted from Jinn with dignity and honour befitting a Jedi, never begging him or making a scene.

Yet Qui-Gon had still pushed Obi-Wan away, refusing to take him as his Padawan, even though the Force screamed at him to do so. He rarely ignored the Force's inclinations, but this time Qui-Gon felt justified in turning his back on it as it whispered seductively in his ear.

He wouldn't – no, couldn't – believe it when it nudged him with images of he and Kenobi as a team, working together to bring peace to the Universe, fighting side by side, fearless in the face of their enemies, because it could never happen. If Qui-Gon ever took Obi-Wan as his Apprentice … well, to say the least, the boy's fate would be far better off with a farmer's life.

Qui-Gon picked up a muja fruit and rolled it around in his large hands.

And the way Kenobi had fought … his skill, – and even more impressive, his bravery – was outstanding. He didn't know why there hadn't been any Knights to make it their business to take the boy as an Apprentice yet. He was sure that he'd have been taken by the age of nine or ten, and had promised himself that it would happen the first time he'd observed the boy, when he was merely eight years old. He had been surprised when he'd returned to the Temple only weeks ago to find the boy still Masterless.

It was plain to see that all Obi-Wan needed was the more personal training of a Master – Padawan relationship to truly thrive and come into the potential that lay dormant inside him, simply waiting to be accessed. He had been so tempted to teach the promising young Jedi himself, but he feared for the outcome.

For both he and Obi-Wan.

The boy had so many traits similar to those Xanatos possessed in his youth; anger, determination, intelligence, a headstrong tendency, impulsiveness … they had so much in common, yet Qui-Gon couldn't help but realising how different the two were.

But no, Qui-Gon would not take Obi-Wan Kenobi as his Padawan Learner. The pairing could only ever lead to disaster.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

So, please, tell me what you think.

BaBaKaNuSh13


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N:** Sorry for all of you who had read this when I first posted it – I was in a hurry and didn't get to check my post, so consequently didn't get to see that I'd lost vital information and all the breaks in the transition between my documents and the website. Anyway, please review. I know I sound like I'm review-mongering, but I would really like to know how to improve, and what people like, etc. Besides, it's the only payment I get for writing this :) … er, apart from the satisfaction of actually completing something that I started, of course.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 2**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan was exhausted.

Being the only Jedi in the Bandomeer Agri-Corps, the manager of the settlement had become excited with his presence and sent him around to Force heal all the new fruit tree grafts onto the rootstock, to improve success rate and quicken the trees' growth.

Not only was he already bored with the mundane task, he was weary with the continual Force usage and knew that he'd be scraping the bottom of his reserves within a few hours.

He looked back over the paddocks he'd already done and sighed. It seemed as if he was getting nowhere, yet his body sure felt as if he'd toiled for hours in the stifling atmosphere of the Agri-dome.

Which, in reality, Obi-Wan thought, he had done.

Turning to the sapling tree in front of him, Obi-Wan carefully placed his hands around the tiny graft and concentrated his attention in the Force. He had never been confident in

his Force abilities, but he had to admit that the countless hours of having to access it to heal the grafts were paying off, and he was finding it easier to locate the elusive touch of its presence in his mind.

Obi-Wan reached deep within himself and caught a tendril of the Force's energy, sending it out through his hands and into the graft, willing it to grow and attach itself to the rootstock, setting down deep-seeded bonds to the mother-plant to help it survive. He opened his eyes to view his work.

Another success.

But somehow the sight didn't cheer Obi-Wan up. Instead he slumped back down into the dusty soil beneath him and glared at the plant. He would have been much better off fighting alongside other Jedi, Force healing any wound his Master had sustained, rather than planting trees and looking after sick crops.

Obi-Wan scowled at the thought.

But he was helping entire planets, saving them from starvation, wasn't he? He was saving lives, even if it wasn't directly so. He should be happy with what he had, what he could do. Wasn't that a Jedi teaching?

But how could he ever be faulted for wanting to do something more, of wanting to become more involved?

Yet that is what he had been told, that he could never become a Jedi Knight.

Obi-Wan's stoic glare slipped and his chin fell to bump against his chest, despair threatening to overwhelm him. He sat there for a moment, just staring at his dusty Jedi boots, before he finally moved, sighing resignedly.

Obi-Wan crawled over to the next tree, not even bothering to stand up for the short journey. He swiped his dusty hands over his sweaty forehead, leaving a trail of mud down his face. Obi-Wan was about to put his hands around the sapling's carefully bound graft, ready to help its growth along, when he felt a strange tingling in the back of his mind. His head flew up instantly.

A disturbance in the Force.

But what could it be? Obi-Wan couldn't think of anything in the Agri-dome that would cause such disquiet in his enhanced senses. Something was seriously off somewhere in the area. Obi-Wan knelt up and looked around him, over the top of the surrounding fields of tree grafts, so that he could just peer above their tops without giving away his position.

Then he saw it. At the nearest curve of the dome. A speeder bike raced towards the entrance, never slowing down. The Agri-guard stationed there stepped forward as if to stop the bike, but at the last minute the rider pulled out a vibro-shiv and ruthlessly cut the man down. The bike raced unimpeded through the entrance, gunning its engines.

Time slowed down as Obi-Wan's vision zoned in on the racing speeder bike, heading straight towards his position. He was sure that the rider had not seen him yet, still kneeling between the sapling rows, but he knew that he would not stay unfound for long unless he moved fast. Thinking quickly, Obi-Wan ducked down and lay in the middle of his row, pulling his dark brown Jedi robe over himself so that he would blend in with surrounding soil.

But the speeder bike headed straight towards him. Obi-Wan pushed himself up and crawled between the trees, heading in a different direction. The rider changed course to follow him.

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. He could feel it wasn't just coincidence that the speeder bike was heading for him, but he couldn't think who could be chasing him. He had no real enemies yet, not any who would want to … well, he didn't know what the rider wanted, but he sensed it wasn't to say hello. Dark waves radiated from the figure and suspicion raised in his mind.

Realising that it was time to get out of there, Obi-Wan leapt up and began sprinting towards the nearest Agri-Corps building. He calculated that he could make it there before the speeder, with the narrow, twisting rows. In this situation, he knew his legs could beat machine.

Despite Obi-Wan's confidence, he could feel the speeder bike gaining on him. He glanced behind him to check on it. Although the rows between the trees were not made for a speeder bike travelling at such high speeds, giving Obi-Wan a natural advantage, the rider drove like a professional racer, twisting through the narrow gaps and turning at the last moment, so that to the untrained eye they would look like a madman, out of control. But Obi-Wan knew better. This rider knew how to drive a speeder bike, and well.

Obi-Wan risked another glance over his shoulder. The rider wore a large, dark cloak, with a hood that covered their face, and that billowed about their legs. The material flapped back, revealing a dark utility belt, and Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of a silver cylinder.

A lightsabre!

Obi-Wan nearly stopped in shock. It was Xanatos following him. He'd had suspicions earlier, but now he was absolutely certain of them. He could recognise the former Jedi's build. What was he doing here? What did Xanatos want with him?

Knowing that he could not win the deadly race to the Agri-Corps building, Obi-Wan waited until Xanatos was right on his heels before dropping flat to the ground and rolling onto his back, igniting his lightsabre and slashing at the underbelly of the speeder bike as it passed over him. He felt the whoosh of hot air as it flew mere centimetres away from his upturned face. The jolt of the lightsabre's impact with the bike sent a painful shock up his arms, making his shoulders ache, but he pushed the feeling away and jumped to his feet. He was vaguely aware of the speeder bike crashing into the ground metres away, on the way taking out the sapling trees he'd worked so hard to heal, as Xanatos neatly flipped off the careening vehicle.

Obi-Wan grimaced. RonTha was going to kill him.

As he landed, Xanatos' hood flipped back and revealed a horrible grin which marred his pale face, dark eyes flashing ominously. He nimbly leapt after Obi-Wan, continuing the chase, a sinister strain in each movement.

He was enjoying it.

Despite his head start, Obi-Wan knew it wouldn't be long before the older, faster man would catch up to him. If only he knew why he was being chased in the first place, then he might have had some advantage against Xanatos. As it were, Obi-Wan felt like a nerf being chased by a rancor. Utterly helpless and doomed.

With a fraction of a second's warning from the Force, Obi-Wan instinctively dodged to the right, a blaster bolt whizzing through the air. It grazed his left upper arm, and he immediately felt it go numb from his shoulder to fingertips, and nearly totally unresponsive. The gun had been set on stun.

What was Xanatos playing at? He was merely toying with Obi-Wan. He could have caught him by now, and yet he hadn't. And why did he have the blaster on stun? Obi-Wan came up with no conclusions, but continued to run. Whatever the dark Jedi had in mind, he could tell it would not be pleasant.

Obi-Wan was quickly ripped from his thoughts as his foot caught on a tree root and he tripped. He felt Xanatos leap over his head to avoid a collision, and landed a few metres away. Obi-Wan continued with his fall and rolled to his feet a short distance away, quietly cursing the recent growth spurt that made him so awkward within his own body. He stood staring at Xanatos, who was yet to make a move, poised like a hungry gundark, and silently willed his panted breaths to slow, limp left arm useless by his side.

"So, Obi-Wan, we meet again, I see."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As usual, please R&R. Thank you.

BaBaKaNuSh13


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU, (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N:** Sorry for all of you who had read this when I first posted it – I was in a hurry and didn't get to check my post, so consequently didn't get to see that I'd lost vital information and all the breaks in the transition between my documents and the website. Anyway, please review. I know I sound like I'm review-mongering, but I would really like to know how to improve, and what people like, etc. Besides, it's the only payment I get for writing this :) … er, apart from the satisfaction of actually completing something that I started, of course.

Oh, and the jojubamt fish is mine. It comes from the watery world of Mon Calamaria, and is renowned for its particular slipperiness. I stole it from another JA fanfic that I'm writing at the moment, actually.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 3**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What do you want, Xanatos?"

Xanatos let out a deep chuckle, eyes crinkling. "Who said I wanted anything, young Padawan?"

Obi-Wan ignored the title and tried not to flinch. "Then why set your blaster to stun? I doubt you followed me all this way just to kill me."

"True, true," Xanatos said, taking a step forward. His eyes darkened with greed. "I knew you were intelligent. I merely have an offer to make to you, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan took a step back. "There is nothing you could offer me that I would agree to, Xanatos," he spat.

"Oh, no?"

There was a noise behind Xanatos and Obi-Wan glanced around him to see Agri-Corps security guards rushing their way.

"I could teach you many things, Obi-Wan … I could teach you the ways of the Force. Isn't that what you want?" Xanatos asked silkily.

Despite the part of him that screamed out 'yes!', Obi-Wan knew better than to trust him.

"I doubt that I could use anything that you could ever teach me Xanatos, but I'll remember to look you up if Hoth ever melts."

Xanatos laughed outright this time. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you before then, Obi-Wan. I haven't finished with you yet.' He glanced to the oncoming hoard of guards, face neutral. "But I think it is time for me to leave for now. Think about my offer."

He leapt past Obi-Wan, bumping into his bad shoulder as he did so, forcing the boy to stumble back, and sprinted off between the rows, cloak billowing, as the security guards gave chase.

Obi-Wan turned away and bowed his head in thought. Why was Xanatos seeking him out to offer _him_ tutelage? What was he really after? Questions clouded his mind, and he felt dizziness wash over his senses.

"What do you think you are _doing_?"

Obi-Wan winced and span around as RonTha hurried up to him.

"Look at the trees! _Look_ at them! What has happened here?" the Meerian flapped his hands around wildly in agitation.

"There was–"

"All the work that has been put into those trees has been wasted. Look at them! If you weren't the only Jedi farmer here you'd be sent straight away … immediately! When–"

Obi-Wan sighed wearily and drowned out the sound of RonTha's voice, as he raved on in his monotonous drone. He instead turned his mind to the curiosity of Xanatos' appearance. It was up to him to find out about the former Jedi's motives, since, as RonTha had said, he was the only Jedi on Bandomeer.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"_Go on, jump!"_

_He looked down at the broiling sea so far below and made up his mind. He sailed over the edge of the cliff, his clothes whipping around him, both in the updraught from his fall and the stiff wind that crashed against the cliff face._

_He was going to hit the water, so far below._

_He knew the impact would kill him, but it was better, by far, than his other fate._

Obi-Wan sat up in his sleep-couch in a cold sweat and glanced around him. He still had another hour of rest before he was to be up.

The young Jedi rubbed his face wearily. The same dream had come to him last night, but he still couldn't figure out what was happening in it.

No, not a dream. A vision.

The Unifying Force being his strength, Obi-Wan had always been prone to premonitions and visions, and he had no doubt that this was yet another. He sighed. There was nothing for him to do about it, yet prepare himself for something to come. After all, that was the purpose of visions, as a prediction to learn by.

And there was something else that accompanied his vision, too … something elusive … but it slipped out of reach like a jojubamt fish.

Realising that he would not be able to fall asleep again, Obi-Wan swung his feet onto the cold floor and rested his chin in his palms, leaning his elbows on his knees.

He didn't even know who it was that had made the decision to jump in the vision. There was a possibility that it was he who had to make the choice, but he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, it could be anyone.

Obi-Wan stood up and changed into fresh clothes. He was not looking forward to the prospect of another full day of healing plants and encouraging them to grow. Having to reach out to the Force all day made him weary, but he anticipated being able to meet with his good friend, Si Treemba again.

The Arconian had volunteered to assist Obi-Wan in his daily work, and, strangely enough, his request had been approved. After all the mess that they'd been through together, and all the trouble that they'd caused, despite that fact that it hadn't actually been entirely their fault, he was sure that they would never work together again. Apparently he was wrong.

Splashing water on his face and clipping his lightsabre onto his belt, Obi-Wan was about to palm open the door to go smuggle some breakfast from the kitchens, when he felt a ripple's warning in the Force. He ducked instinctively as a blaster bolt smashed through the window and into the durasteel of his door. The smell of scorched material filled the air as his curtain smouldered gently from the passing blast.

Obi-Wan grabbed the hilt of his lightsabre from its place on his utility belt and rolled, from his crouched position, to the window. He peered over the sill. It was still dark outside, but lights soon turned on in the rest of the building, as annoyed patrons woke at the sound of the breaking glass of his window. The light from the building faintly illuminated a speeder bike down below, painted to camouflage in with the night, a familiar figure astride it.

Xanatos raised the lightsabre hilt he had gripped in one hand, and touched it to his head in a salute, grinning wildly before speeding off silently.

Obi-Wan rocked back onto his haunches and tugged on the short hair that flopped onto his forehead thoughtfully. Xanatos had managed to get past the Agri-Corps' increased security. Not that it surprised Obi-Wan, he'd just hoped that he wouldn't.

What puzzled Obi-Wan the most, though, was what Xanatos actually wanted with him. He knew that the shot had not been aimed to kill him, since it had thudded into the door so far above his head once he'd actually ducked under it, so what was he playing at?

Obi-Wan couldn't help but somehow wish that Xanatos would just _do_ something, rather than toy with him as if they were playing some sort of game.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Please hit that little review button and tell me what you think.

Grazie a mille, amo tutti i recensori!

Sorry if my Italian's a little off, but I've just finished year 12 and as soon as I got out of my Italian exam, all my books went straight to the bottom of my cupboard, and everything I learnt promptly flew out of my head to join the growing mounds of dust bunnies under my bed. :)

BaBaKaNuSh13


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU, (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N:** Finally, a new chapter, and I can stop apologising for stuffing everything up … until I do it again next time, that is.

Enjoy.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 4**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Over the next few days, his visions, the constant warnings, and the need for an intense and deep connection to the Force were wearing Obi-Wan out. The visions were always of the same troublesome quandary between jumping and some other, unknown fate, but he had come no further to discovering what they actually signified.

To top it off, every day without fail, the familiar tingling sensation would arise in the back of Obi-Wan's mind, and he would be forced to jump, spin and duck to dodge blaster bolts, knives and other deadly projectiles aimed in his direction. Xanatos would appear out of nowhere, somehow sneaking past Agri-Corps security without ever being seen, and attack him in some way. He'd never actually made contact with Obi-Wan, but it was almost as if he was testing him, taunting him, trying to goad him into a reaction.

Obi-Wan refused to submit to the man's whims.

He'd tried to alert security of the danger, but no one had believed him, since Xanatos had never been sighted, besides on the first day when he'd crashed the speeder bike. Even then, it had been assumed that he had been just some random hooligan, merely out to disturb the peace. The worst thing was, however, that although he had not been believed about Xanatos' continual appearances in the Agri-dome, Obi-Wan had been blamed for any scorch marks or damaged plants as a result of them. They'd even gone so far as to threaten to put him on probation.

After searching the Agri-Corps' holonet for any current information on Xanatos' movements, Obi-Wan came up with no leads, not that he really expected anything. Xanatos seemed influential enough to be able to keep his presence quiet. There was nothing to indicate what he could be doing back on Bandomeer, and that only worried the young Jedi more. He had thought of sharing his thoughts and suspicions with Si Treemba, but didn't wish to involve the young Arconian in Xanatos' deadly game any more than he had to. Obi-Wan felt that he'd already endangered him too many times in the past, already.

But it made Obi-Wan feel so alone to be unable to share his worries with someone older, wiser than him. He had no one to turn to, no one who would believe him. It was now that he wished for Qui-Gon to be with him more than ever, to tell him what to do, despite the hurt that clouded Obi-Wan's mind every time he thought of the man.

No, he didn't need Qui-Gon. He could manage on his own.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan lay down on his narrow sleep-couch after another tiring day, and fell asleep almost instantly, weariness lulling him into the grip of the night. He rolled over restlessly in his sleep.

_It was time to make his choice. Time to decide between what was safer for him – what was easy – and what was right, yet so much harder to follow through with. He knew what he would choose._

_He went flying through the air, falling down towards the turbulent water…_

Obi-Wan woke up with a gasp as the Force screamed a warning to him and he tumbled out of bed, grateful for the Masters who had drilled it into the initiates to sleep in their clothes, always ready for anything. All he lacked was his boots. In one fluid motion Obi-Wan grabbed his lightsabre from the bedside table, and rolled to the space under his window sill. He was given a moment's breath to quickly pull his boots on with two violent tugs.

A dark figure, like a large, black bird, sailed over his head, smashing through the newly-repaired window. Glass scattered across the room and tinkled against the cold tiles of the floor. Xanatos landed lightly and turned to face Obi-Wan with a predatory grin.

"Are you ready to decide, young Kenobi?"

_It was time to make his choice._

"What am I to decide?" Obi-Wan asked, feeling dread pitting in his stomach. It was him then, in his vision. He was sure of it.

"Whether you will join me and learn the ways of the Force with my teachings," Xanatos paused dramatically, "or whether we will have to come to some … other agreement."

Obi-Wan raised his lightsabre into a guarded position in front of him, yet did not ignite it, waiting for Xanatos to make the first move. "I will never turn to the Dark Side, Xanatos. Mustafar will freeze over before I will ever follow you."

Xanatos merely shrugged, lip curling slightly. "Big words, little Jedi. Nevertheless, that can be arranged. It seems you just need a little … persuasion."

He leapt forward without warning, straight toward Obi-Wan, his lightsabre suddenly in his hands, ignited and slashing at him. Obi-Wan sidestepped the movement and spun on one foot, striking out to meet the red sabre with his own blue one. The pungent smell of ozone filled the small interior of the room, the swing of their lightsabres singeing the sparse furniture and leaving scorch marks on the tiled floor.

Xanatos swung heavily at Obi-Wan's head, but he crouched down underneath it, striking out with sabre towards the man's midsection. Xanatos easily parried the move, but Obi-Wan had counted on it. He slipped his lightsabre blade underneath Xanatos' with one hand, flicking it towards him as he ducked beneath it, falling back onto his other hand and kicking out with both feet, connecting solidly with Xanatos' thighs.

The unconventional move caught Xanatos unaware, and an unguarded look of surprise crossed his face as he stumbled backwards a few steps.

It was all the time Obi-Wan needed.

He abruptly spun around and leapt out the window. He knew he could never achieve anything in this fight against Xanatos and that it was time to leave. The man was too experienced, too strong, and Obi-Wan somehow felt that that is what he wanted: for Obi-Wan to fight.

He fell through the air, down the three stories to the ground, but quickly reached out to grab a branch to slow his fall halfway down. He swung there for a fraction of a moment before dropping silently to the ground and sprinted lightly around the corner of the building, hoping to either lose Xanatos or find some sort of help.

He stopped in a courtyard, which was in the middle of the circle of living quarters, looking around for some way to escape. He was suddenly forced to cartwheel to the right as a bolt blasted the spot where he'd been standing, and continued the movement, landing behind a series of large durasteel skips. He crouched down and peered around them, quickly jerking his head back as another blaster bolt pinged past and hit the wall behind him, taking a chip out of the solid plasticrete.

Pressing his back to the skip, Obi-Wan thought quickly. What was he going to do? He looked out into the dark of the night, stretching out with the Force to enhance his senses. He could feel Xanatos stalking towards his hiding place, assured in his win over the young Jedi. Obi-Wan stretched out further. Nothing. He couldn't find anything that would assist him.

"Come out, come out, little Padawan," Xanatos called. Obi-Wan could feel him on the adjacent side of the skip, dark glee radiating off him.

Obi-Wan suddenly jumped to his feet and back flipped onto the top of the large bin, gaining the advantage of height. He rolled to the edge and swung down, striking out at the black-clad shoulder of the Dark Jedi, only to be met with his violent red lightsabre. He back flipped again as Xanatos swung at his knees, unintentionally giving the older man room to leap up onto the bin with him. Xanatos pulled out a blaster and took a few well-aimed shots.

Obi-Wan leapt off the top of the skip with the barrage of laser bolts. As he flipped through the air, he felt a searing pain as one caught him in the side. Losing his concentration, he landed awkwardly and fell hard to the ground, banging his head on the uneven stone floor of the courtyard.

He could hear the raucous laughter of Xanatos past the ringing of his ears.

Reaching out to the Force dizzily, Obi-Wan tried to push away the pain searing up his side and raised himself weakly on his forearms. He felt a warning through the Force, but his reactions were sluggish, meaning that he couldn't dodge the electro-jabber aimed at his head.

With the searing agony that pulsed between his temples, Obi-Wan was hard-pressed to maintain his weak grasp on consciousness. Relief swept through him as the electro-jabber was lifted away. It was a fleeting feeling, however, as Xanatos reapplied the stick to his already-damaged side. After several long moments of writhing in pain and battling against the instinct to cry out, the last thing Obi-Wan remembered was a kick to his head, sending him deep into the comfort of oblivion.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Please hit that little review button and tell me what you think, or I'll have to threaten you with my uber-cool Obi-Wan Kenobi lightsabre that I'm getting for my birthday! Actually, I went out an bought it myself, but I convinced my sister to pretend it's my eighteenth birthday present from her, so that I wouldn't get in trouble with the olds for buying it … er …I mean, so that I wouldn't get in trouble with my parents! ;)

Well, my offers for University come out in exactly one week (well, from when I'm posting it, here in Australia. They come out on the 17th of Jan, '06), and I'm so excited that I might post another chapter tomorrow if I can get on the net. Check out the course I applied for: Bachelor of Multimedia (Networks and Computing)/Bachelor of Engineering (Telecommunications and Internet Technologies). Sounds scary, huh? The long name sounds so intimidating, so I tell everyone that I'm just doing a computer course. :)

Anyway, I'll stop babbling on, now, so you can get quick-smart to reviewing ;D. Have a great day!

BaBaKaNuSh13


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N: **G'day! I've decided to say thank you to all the wonderful Aussies out there, so this chapter is dedicated to that beautiful country of ours. Anyway, enough of that – don't mind me, I didn't have one wink of sleep last night because it was so hot here.

Enjoy

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 5**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon Jinn sat up in his chair with a stifled gasp, the faint echo of pain pulsing in his side and at his temples. He reached up to rub his forehead confusedly. It wasn't his own pain … no, another Jedi's.

Qui-Gon's brow furrowed.

Whose?

"Master Jinn? Are you alright?"

Qui-Gon didn't hear the question, and reached out to the Force to felt the faint beginnings of a bond in the back of his mind. He'd refused to acknowledge it until now, but he couldn't ignore it anymore. It was positively rippling in distress. He reached out to gain a sense of it, and felt only a dark void at the other end.

The Jedi Master immediately grabbed for his commlink.

"Master Jinn?"

Qui-Gon snapped back to attention. Newly appointed King Sandrobar was watching him, large bulbous eyes lined with concern.

"I am sorry, your highness, but I must make an urgent call."

"Certainly, Master Jinn. Are you alright, though? It looked like you left us there for a minute."

Qui-Gon nodded and forced a slight smile, ignoring the second comment. "I assure you that I am quite well, your Highness. Thankyou," he said, bowing before leaving the room as quickly as was appropriate.

Without thinking, Qui-Gon adjusted the frequency of his comm to send a message to Obi-Wan as soon as he'd left the room. After several minutes, the boy had still not replied.

That was strange for Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon thought, he usually did so straight away.

Qui-Gon called his commlink. No answer.

Qui-Gon's brow furrowing in slight worry now. How could the boy attract trouble so easily? It had only been a little over a week ago since he'd been kidnapped and forced into slavery on a deep-sea mine, and now he'd gotten into some other dangerous situation, Qui-Gon was sure of it. He patched a call to the Temple.

"Jedi Temple, Coruscant. How may I help you?" A young female voice came through, all too cheerful for the extremely early hour that it would be on Coruscant.

"This is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Please connect me to Master Yoda. It's urgent."

There was a pause. "Hold on a moment, please."

"Master Qui-Gon," Yoda answered. "How be you, hmmm?"

"Have you heard from Obi-Wan, Master?"

A moment of silence stretched out between them, and he could imagine Yoda closing his eyes and reaching out to the Force. "Heard from him, I have not, but sense he is in danger, I do."

"Yes, Master, as do I. I cannot contact him and …" Qui-Gon paused, hesitant to admit he had any sort of connection with the boy. "…and I can only feel pain from him."

There was another pause. "Go to him, you shall."

"But Master, surely there is someone closer … my mission here on Riskala–"

"Wait, it can. Jedi as close to Bandomeer and know Obi-Wan as you do, there are none."

Qui-Gon bristled at Yoda's acknowledgement of their bond. He didn't want it, but now knew that Yoda would make his life impossible trying to convince Qui-Gon that it was the will of the Force that Obi-Wan become his Padawan. He held back a sigh of frustration. Somehow life had become infinitely more complicated since he'd met the boy.

"Sense you must go to him, I do. In grave danger, he is," Yoda added in his gravelly voice.

Qui-Gon bowed his head in reluctant compliance.

"Yes, Master." He signed off the connection and stood up, walking out of his lavish guest quarters to request a fast transport to Bandomeer.

As much as he worried for the boy's safety, Qui-Gon dreaded having to face those poignant eyes again and feel his resentful guilt as the result of them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan opened his bleary eyes groggily, but was met only with the crisp, faint light of very early morning, so that he could just make out his surroundings. Not that there was much to see. He was tied up in the back of a land speeder, which was travelling fast enough to create billowing clouds of red dust in its wake.

He wriggled in his bonds, the cuffs around his wrists and ankles rubbing irritatingly against his skin. Using the Force, Obi-Wan tried to find a catch or seam which would unlock them, but, as he'd expected, could find no trace of any. Frustration welled up inside of him, but he closed his eyes and worked to release the feeling. It would not help him.

Giving up on the cuffs for the moment, Obi-Wan twisted to look to the front of a speeder, but had to stop, wincing in pain as the blaster wound in his side pulled against the movement. He calmed his erratic breathing and glanced down to see a large expanse of clean, white bandage covering a bacta strip over the wound. He stared at it in surprise for a moment. Someone had tended to him.

Shaking his head slowly, carefully aware of the large, painful lump on the side of his head from Xanatos' cruel kick, Obi-Wan glanced warily toward the front of the speeder. There were two whipids piloting it, but no sign of Xanatos. That could only be a good sign.

One of the whipids glanced back to check on Obi-Wan, but the young Jedi wasn't quick enough to feign unconsciousness, and the creature gave a growl of surprise to find him awake. He reached for his electro-jabber.

Getting ready to jump out of the speeder, Obi-Wan noticed a flash of metal with the whipid's movement and, acting quickly, Obi-Wan grabbed his lightsabre off the whipid's belt with his bound hands. He pushed off from the seat, to tumble over the side of the moving craft, rolling several times to lessen his impact with the hard ground. Nevertheless, it still stole the breath out of Obi-Wan, and he was sure he'd have a few impressive bruises to show for it.

The speeder continued on its path for several moments, before turning sharply about and heading back toward him at top speed. The whipid in the passenger seat hung over the side, gripping the electro-jabber in his furry paws. Quickly flipping his lightsabre around in his hands so that he could hold it properly, Obi-Wan ignited the blade and swiped at his bound ankles in one swift movement. He jumped to his feet and stood, waiting for the speeder to reach him, taking deep breaths as he did so.

As he had done with Xanatos, Obi-Wan fell and rolled onto his back fluidly just before the speeder hit him, sliding under the belly of the machine, though he knew better than to try and gut this much larger land speeder. It passed over the top of him, and Obi-Wan rolled to his knees. It continued on, as before, and swerved around once the whipids realised that he was behind them.

Unable to get enough leverage to cut through the binders on his wrists, Obi-Wan quickly placed the lightsabre between his knees and activated the red power button with a controlled burst of the Force. He effectively cut through the wrist cuffs and leapt to his feet, ready to face the speeder once again.

Obi-Wan counted down the seconds in his mind. He had to get the timing right for this, or else it could only be disaster for him. Just as the speeder reached Obi-Wan, and he could see the enraged scowls on the whipids' faces, he flipped forward, as high as he could go, with an added push of the Force as he left the ground. He slowed his jump, seeming almost to pause in mid-air, so that by the time he landed the speeder had passed beneath him.

In the moment he had before the whipids would be on top of him again, Obi-Wan glanced around and noticed a hill nearby, and raced up it before the speeder had time to turn around.

In a few seconds, it was after him, chasing him up the steep slope. He glanced over his shoulder to see the dark, hunt-mongering eyes of the whipids, intently following his every move. Obi-Wan would have trouble losing them in this open space, and hoped for some sort of respite on the other side of the hill.

A moment's warning was all Obi-Wan had, before he quickly skidded to a halt and watched in horrified fascination as a few pieces of the cliff's edge broke off from under his feet, and tumbled all the way down to the sea far below. He couldn't even hear them hit the water's surface.

Obi-Wan scrabbled backwards, lest he follow suit.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Oh, a cliffie!

Literally.

Oh, aren't I so funny? I just crack myself up. (if you couldn't tell by the curves of the letters there, and Force forbid you shouldn't, I was being sarcastic.)

I am so lame.

Anyway, please review and tell me how lame I am, if nothing else ;D.

Catcha later, I'm going to go chuck a snag on the barbie. No, really, I am. I was going to say 'shrimp,' but that would just be lying. BTW, if anyone knows how Aussies got coined with the phrase 'go chuck a shrimp on the barbie,' please tell me! I've never ever heard of anyone cooking a shrimp on the barbeque. That's just plain crazy, and not even the typical AFL footy-playing, meat pie eating, beer drinking, average Australian's typical diet, is it? Sorry, I've just been wondering about that for years – it's driving me crazy! (Just in case you couldn't tell.)

BaBaKaNuSh13


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N: **All I can say, in this sweltering heat, is 'please review!' Wow, I'm starting to sound desperate, aren't I? Maybe some of you could get together and start a review fund for me. That would be nice.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 6**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon stormed through the front entrance to the main Agri-Corps building.

RonTha hurried up to him. "Master Jedi, what are you doing here?"

"Where is he?" Qui-Gon asked briskly. "Where is Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

RonTha looked startled. "Getting ready for the day, I would imagine. He will have just woken up."

Qui-Gon gave the Meerian a sharp look. "Take me to his quarters."

RonTha seemed about to protest, but stopped midway and bowed slightly. "Follow me."

After pushing the doorcomm to Obi-Wan's room several times, but to no avail, Qui-Gon's stomach dropped. It was as he feared. The boy was in trouble again, he just knew it.

"He must still be asleep," RonTha muttered. He typed in his override code and palmed the door open. Qui-Gon already knew, then and there, that the young Jedi would not be inside.

It was dark within, and RonTha clucked his tongue. He pressed the light switch on to reveal an empty room in utter chaos.

The solitary window, opposite the door, was totally smashed in. Glass littered the floor, and scorches covered the tiles, walls and furniture. RonTha gasped and stood completely still for a moment, before he hurried over to the adjoining bathroom to search for Obi-Wan in there. He came back out a moment later.

"He's not here."

"I know," Qui-Gon said softly, fingering a large slice that had been taken out of the wooden frame of the sleep-couch.

Lightsabre burns. Not just Obi-Wan's; there were others from someone else. Some of the burns were higher up, with a different centre of swing. Someone taller than Obi-Wan, then.

But who would attack Obi-Wan who also possessed a lightsabre?

One name immediately floated to his mind.

Xanatos.

It was the only possibility.

But what did his former Apprentice want with Obi-Wan? Revenge?

Qui-Gon abruptly stood up and walked across the room. The door panel's records indicated that no one had exited the quarters since the previous evening, so his next guess was that Obi-Wan and Xanatos had both also left through the smashed window. He looked out of it, taking care of the glass shards on the sill. There broken twigs littering the ground underneath the solid tree below.

They _had_ left that way.

Qui-Gon raced through the Agri-Corps housing building to the ground, a flustering RonTha in tow. He knelt down to inspect the area, and noticed a few more tree fragments and crushed leaves only metres away. He followed the trail.

Rounding the corner of the building, Qui-Gon's eyes scanned the area in a mere glance.

A courtyard covered in blaster bolt scorches.

Frown deepening, he walked warily over to a group of skips clustered against a wall. The Force whispered at him to look closer at the base of one. Qui-Gon stepped forward and blanched as he saw a patch of recently-dried blood there.

He gingerly touched the area, and an echo of pain slammed into him.

Fire in his side … hurt roaring through his head … body screaming – an electro-jabber.

Qui-Gon jolted back to reality and took a deep breath.

Obi-Wan had been shot.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A rush of dread flowed through Obi-Wan at the sight of the crashing waves and deep sea below him.

The vision.

He hadn't even seen the cliff as he'd run, disguised as it was at the top of the hill.

The speeder came to a screeching halt behind him, and Obi-Wan turned around to see both whipids leaping out of it, stalking path towards him.

He whirled around to face the edge of the cliff again, searching for a way out. There was nothing.

"Go on, jump!" one whipid yelled in a growl. It was the pilot of the landspeeder.

Flashes of the vision raced through his mind.

_It was time to make his choice._

Obi-Wan took a step back from the cliff's edge.

The other whipid gave a gravelly chuckle. "See, I knew he wouldn't be able to do it. Come with us, Jedi boy, and we'll tell Lord Xanatos that you came willingly. He'll be most pleased."

_Time to decide between what was safer for him – what was easy – and what was right, yet so much harder to follow through with._

That was it, Obi-Wan thought. Choose the easy way of following Xanatos, which would be safer for him in the short-run, or stand up in a defiance of the man, which would be so much harder to do.

_He knew what he would choose._

Taking another step back from the edge, Obi-Wan absently heard the heavy growling laughter of the whipids.

It wasn't so much more difficult a decision really, Obi-Wan decided, and without a second thought, he took a step forward before leaping into open air, leaving the surprised yelps of his pursuers behind him.

Ashis clothes whipped around him, Obi-Wan reached for his cable launcher, grateful that it was still attached to his utility belt. He ripped it off and quickly fired it at the natural sort of ledge that formed beneath the edge of the cliff. It stuck, and Obi-Wan freefell for a moment before the cable pulled taught and he was wrenched to a stop, his shoulders screaming in pain. He heard a pop and knew instantly that he'd dislocated his right shoulder. Obi-Wan bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop from crying out. He tasted blood in his mouth as he bit down harder, his shoulder in agony as he slammed against the side of the cliff. Obi-Wan swung freely in the powerful updraught from the turbulent water below.

Obi-Wan's head swam with the combined pain of his shoulder and the re-opened wound in his side. It was, once again, bleeding sluggishly. Obi-Wan determinedly scrabbled for a handhold on the side of the cliff. Finally finding a slight ledge, he gripped onto it tightly with his left hand, knowing that if he so much as moved his right arm now, then he'd never be able to grab onto the launcher again.

Obi-Wan pulled himself in as close as possible to the cliff face and waited there, his feet slipping desperately as they tried to find purchase. His heartbeat thudded loudly in his ears, quickened in anticipation as he heard the frantic snarls of the whipids above him. He prayed to the Force that the overhang hid him well enough from their searching eyes.

"Gone," he heard one whipid growl nervously as they stepped back from the edge. "Dead. Xanatos is going to murder us."

A commlink clicked into life.

"Yes? What is it?" Xanatos' voice snapped from over the link.

"I – I'm sorry, sir, but – but–'

"What? Speak, you stupid beast!"

"It's the human Jedi boy. He's gone," the whipid finally blurted out. "He jumped off a cliff into the sea. The fall would have killed him."

Xanatos cursed. "I told you to be extra careful with him, you stupid tooth-faced, nerf-brained whipids! By the Force I should rip your heads off! Now check again."

"But, Lord Xanatos, sir–"

"Check again," he snapped.

"Yes, sir."

Obi-Wan heard footsteps crunch closer to the cliff edge, over the dry ground, and tried to readjust his grip on the cliff face. It crumbled beneath his fingers, leaving him scrambling for another hold. He helplessly swung out over the sea, instead. Obi-Wan frantically tried to reach back to the cliff side, but it was too late.

He'd been spotted.

"I see him!" The whipid cried excitedly to his companion. "He's alive, hanging right down there. Look!"

Obi-Wan glanced up to see the second whipid's face appear next to the first's, before disappearing again to talk to Xanatos over the commlink gripped in his furry paws.

"Thought you could hide from us, did you? Jedi scum!" the whipid glanced over his shoulder to call to the other. "Anchor me, I'm going to try and pull him up." He reached down and grabbed onto the cable with a powerful, furred grasp. "Now hold still."

An idea lit in Obi-Wan's mind like a powered-up lightsabre. He waited until his cable swung back closer to the cliff, before pulling his legs up to his chest and gathering the Force around him. With an almighty push against the cliff face, both with his muscles and through the Force, he swung out with such strength that he was sure the cable launcher would pull free out of the ledge. It held firm, however. Using his momentum, when Obi-Wan reached the cliff again, he pushed off once more. He swung out in a circle with help from a controlled pull of the Force, coming up over the cliff's edge. He flew over the heads of the surprised whipids, to land sprawled on the ground between them and the land speeder.

The whipids scrambled to their feet and turned towards Obi-Wan. They pulled out their blasters and aimed for him.

Obi-Wan quickly jumped up and grabbed his lightsabre from his belt. He ignited it and swung single-handedly with his left arm at the stun bolts that raced towards him. He sent them straight back with well-timed deflections, hitting one of the whipids solidly in the chest. He collapsed, falling back and crashing into the other, who let out a yelp of surprise, before both tumbled over the edge.

Obi-Wan winced.

Pushing aside his guilt for the moment, Obi-Wan re-clipped his lightsabre on his utility belt and trotted unsteadily over to the landspeeder. He collapsed against it and panted heavily, attempting to calm his quickened pulse. The events of the past hour rushed back to batter at his mind's defences.

The jump … his shoulder … the whipids' deaths …

Each memory whirled around his mind. They combined with the pain in his shoulder and the fire in his side, to make him feel quite dizzy. He slumped to his knees on the ground, his empty stomach heaving painfully as it tried to vomit up something that just wasn't there. After several moments of laboured convulsing, Obi-Wan gained control over the nausea, willing his body to just relax.

He just wanted this nightmare to be over. He felt so alone, so helpless.

And he resented that.

As he felt each of his muscles loosen again, Obi-Wan shakily stood up, leaning on the speeder. He heaved himself into the pilot's seat. The young Jedi tried to move his right arm, but after all the jolting and jarring it had taken, he could no longer move it. Every time he attempted to, his shoulder screamed in agony.

Obi-Wan glanced down at his blaster wound. He wouldn't be able to strap it up again with only one useable hand, he realised. He tried to reach out to the Force to begin healing, but it just slipped elusively out of his grasp. After spending so much time tending to the plants, combined with the all the events since he'd been kidnapped during the night, Obi-Wan's reserves were depleted.

No, not depleted as such, it was just that he couldn't control his reach to the Force anymore. He was still learning to wield the power, after all.

Obi-Wan sighed. He would just have to get back to the Agri-Corps as fast as he could, then.

Obi-Wan took customary of the alien controls and, after he'd figured them out, powered the landspeeder up. It roared to life, and he swung it around toward where the sun had just risen. He knew that the Agri-Corps lay vaguely in that direction. He gunned the engines and held onto the steering stick with his left hand. He prayed to the Force that there weren't too many tight corners he'd have to manoeuvre around.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Oh, aren't I just a big meanie to poor little Obi-Wan? I would feel remorseful, but I love the angst too much.

Sorry about taking so long to update, but my sister just had a little baby girl and so I went down to Melbourne to see her. Her name is Milly (short for Amelia) and she is absolutely gorgeous!

Anyway, this note is extraordinarily short today. I decided I'd give you a break … as long as you review! ;D

Oh, wait a second. Look at this :o-) Oh. the ears won't work on this. anyway, they are an equal sign.

It's a bunny! I don't know why I just thought of that. I made him myself, but it looks much more impressive on a mobile screen.

Anyway, to replies:

**wyldcat: **Thanks about the references. I hope you liked the lightsabre one in this chapter, too, even though I stole the idea from one of the JA books!

And you're from Australia too? Yay! I'm from Vic, so we have VCE, now … where are you from to still have HSC? I have a feeling NSW … I don't know. And IPT? Is that the same as IT?

You're right about me wanting that double cliffie! ;) But it was originally part of a really long chapter that needed to be broken up, so it was more coincidence than anything … though I was so excited when I had a chance to stop there.

About Obi-Wan killing the whipids … I don't think he would if he had a chance to somehow find another way to escape … not intentionally, anyway. Also, they really had the upper hand – I don't think he had much of a choice, though you were right, it would have been much easier for him to just kill them. We don't like making life easy for Obi-Wan though, do we? oo

Anyway, this is an enormous reply (you always right such long reviews anyway, which is awesome, so I feel justified), but I think I need to do one last thing … an Aussie chant over I'll start off:

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!

Waiting for your 'oi's:)

**Yasona Black:** I love when Xanatos toys with Obi-Wan, too … poor boy:( Anyway, thankyou so much for your wonderful support, it's awesome to have a constant reviewer to encourage you. I'll try to update often. Thankyou once again!

**charie:** thankyou so much for your beautiful review, it made me all fuzzy inside … and not from eating any teddy bears, this time (I used to pull their fur off when I was little and eat it, until I was about seven … that is so weird). Thanks about the origins of the shrimp phrase, I had no idea it came from that movie. You were right about how Paul Hogan is an Aussie, and he was in Crocodile Dundee. It was huge in Australia at the time, but sadly, I've been bad and haven't seen it, so I had no idea that's where the phrase came from. Thanks!

By the Force! I already had these replies pre-written out to save me time since I don't have the net at home, but just discovered I suddenly had a lot more reviews since I'd gone away. So, thanks to those wonderful people who have reviewed, and I'll reply to your reviews next chappie. Sorry! Also thanks to those who've added my fic to their favourites and applied for alerts. You guys are great!

So much for my note being short! This is the longest one yet.

BaBaKaNuSh13


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N: **This Summer. It's frying my brain! If I start talking about green cordial somewhere (which I've been drinking religiously in his heat), please just ignore it. I apologise in forewarning.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 7**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

After taking stock of all the vehicles and crafts in the Agri-Corps hangar, RonTha came hurrying up to Qui-Gon.

"Two of our land speeders are missing. You were right, Master Jinn, there have been thefts during the night," he said, wringing his long hands.

Qui-Gon frowned, though the news wasn't unexpected. He looked around the hangar, musing. He walked over to where the speeders should have been. There were no tracks or clues around the first vacant space, just the usual Agri-dome dust and the grime and oil from the hangar. He scoured the area of the second, instead.

Little pieces of hair were scattered around, with a few tiny splashes of blood, and there were heavy scuffs on the dusty floor. He knelt down and picked up a few of the hairs. They were short, brown and wiry, curving slightly mid-strand.

Whipid hair.

Qui-Gon picked up a few more. These were different to the others, however they were still unmistakably the same species. All he knew was that Xanatos – because he was now certain that it _was_ his former Apprentice behind the attack on Obi-Wan – had at least two of his henchwhipids with him.

Qui-Gon pursed his lips. At most three whipids, he mused, estimating by the amount of variation between the fur samples, and by the fact that the particular land speeder they had stolen only carried a maximum of four passengers.

He looked at the hairs in the palm of his hand again, and his brow furrowed. He lifted one of them up. It was fairly short and soft, not wiry like the others, and was a peculiar ginger-brown colour. He was immediately positive it was Obi-Wan's.

So, the young Jedi had been taken by the whipids. Somewhere far away from the Agri-dome, Qui-Gon thought, judging by the iron-red dust left by their heavy trooper boots. All of the soil in the dome was dark and rich, whereas the surrounding was a mixture of the red earth and the dark soil. Much of the rest of Bandomeer was covered in dry, russet, infertile dirt.

Still, Qui-Gon thought, that doesn't narrow my search down much.

He remained crouched, balancing on his heels, and thought the situation over. There were no other clues to go on, no way to track Obi-Wan.

Unless …

Qui-Gon sighed deeply.

He had no other choice.

He would finally have to face up to the fact that he had a bond with the boy, as much as he was reluctant to do so. He didn't want to encourage the link. He definitely didn't want to be connected to anyone or become used to relying on someone other than himself. After all the years of solo missions, of living life alone and trusting no one but himself, Qui-Gon feared for the consequences of reaching out to Obi-Wan. Yet he knew that it was the only way he could even have a chance of finding Obi-Wan quickly. Otherwise it might be too late to save the boy, if he knew Xanatos. And he did..

Qui-Gon steeled himself and tentatively reached out to the bond that he had shielded himself from. He had blocked it in an attempt to be rid of it. The echo of pain, which he had felt earlier whilst on Riskala, came flooding back. This time it was accompanied by a sharp ache in his shoulder and a profound dizziness. His sense of what Obi-Wan was feeling intensified as he moved further into the surprisingly tenacious bond. He pushed the sensations away and buried himself deeper into it.

Just a little more and he could get a rough sense of Obi-Wan's direction.

He pressed on a little further.

A sense of surprise and blurred confusion washed over Qui-Gon. The boy had sensed his intrusion. He quickly wrenched back to reality before Obi-Wan could realise what was happening.

But it didn't matter anymore. He knew where the boy was.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan jerked, and the speeder swerved sharply to the side.

What was that?

Something had been in his mind. He closed his eyes and focussed, holding the speeder in a straight line. He was in an open plain, desolate and depleted of any substantial landmarks or signs of sentient life, so there was no chance of him crashing as long as he kept the craft running on course.

He reached out with the Force, sweeping himself up in its wave. He didn't try to wield it, he was too worn out for that, but he followed it, letting it control his senses.

Nothing.

Obi-Wan shook his head wryly. He must have been imagining it. He opened his eyes and sighed wearily. He was exhausted and couldn't wait to get back to the Agri-Corps so he could rest and have his injuries seen to. His shoulder was bothering him painfully, but as long as he kept still, the blaster wound in his side didn't hurt him at all. Obi-Wan's head, on the other hand, was pounding terribly. His vision swam every now and again when he moved his head too fast, and dizziness swept over his senses in frequent waves.

Obi-Wan glanced down at the readouts on the panel in front of him. He would be out of fuel soon. Then he was afraid that he would have to walk.

"What are you doing? I told you to wait for me at the cliffs, and when I get there you weren't there. By the Force, if you've botched this up, I'll have your heads on my wall."

Obi-Wan stopped himself from making a sound. It was Xanatos.

"Answer me, you tooth-faces!"

Obi-Wan let the silence drag out, unwilling to give Xanatos any indication to what was happening.

"When I get my hands on you, I–" Xanatos paused, and Obi-Wan's heart pounded faster. He'd worked something out, Obi-Wan knew it.

"Kenobi." The former Jedi said, his tone final. "You don't have to say anything, but I know it's you. I have to say that I'm impressed. What did you do to my whipids? When I find them I'm going to tear apart with my bare hands. I'll bet you didn't hurt them too badly for me, the good little Jedi Padawan that you are."

Obi-Wan's throat constricted. The whipids' fates finally sank in. He'd killed them. His hand tightened on the steering stick.

"You didn't actually murder them, did you? You did. I can feel their deaths." Xanatos roared with laughter. "Oho, little Padawan. Who'll take you now? No one," he spat, "I'll offer you my helping hand, again, Obi-Wan. Come with me and I will teach you the ways of the Force, show you true power. You could be great, you know."

"You wouldn't know power if it hit you round the head with a lit lightsabre," Obi-Wan snapped, forgetting himself.

Xanatos chuckled. "My, my, little Padawan, such anger."

Obi-Wan's mouth snapped shut.

"No comment? Never mind, Kenobi. I shall see you soon, my Padawan."

"In your dreams, Xanatos!" Obi-Wan let go of the steering stick and slammed his palm against the comm power control. His pulse was quickened, beating urgently against his ribs, yet Obi-Wan felt overwhelmingly lethargic. He didn't want to think anymore, just wanted to collapse and sleep for a few weeks. But he had to keep on going.

Xanatos was after him now.

Obi-Wan suddenly snapped to attention.

No doubt there was a tracking device on his speeder. Xanatos didn't trust anyone and would want to follow the progress of his men. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan realised, there was really nothing he could do now. Xanatos already knew where he was and Obi-Wan couldn't afford to change course at this stage; he didn't have enough fuel to. He would just have to try and race the former Jedi back to the Agri-Corps.

No doubt it would be harder than it sounded, Obi-Wan thought. He wouldn't even hesitate to guess that Xanatos had a faster craft than he.

He dared not even think of what would happen when his speeder ran out of fuel.

Obi-Wan tried to adjust the frequency of the craft's inbuilt commlink, steering with his knees, but it was no use. The speeder had been sabotaged, and the only other comm he could contact was Xanatos'. The least likely person from whom Obi-Wan could ask for help.

Not the help he was searching for, anyway.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Review. Now. Pay me with reviews. I get drunk on them. Since I'm not legally allowed to drink for a little more than a week, until I turn eighteen, I have nothing else. Help me with my habit. ;)

So, I hope you liked this chapter. As per usual, if you have any suggestions, complaints, anything **_about the story_**, please just go ahead and say it. I need to hear that sort of stuff so that I can improve. I can't help you if you hate this fic if you don't tell me how to develop it (within consideration, naturally. One thing I refuse to do is change Obi-Wan's hair colour to blue. Not that I have anything against the colour, but he already has a blue lightsabre and blue-green eyes, so I think that's enough).

Can you tell it's hot here?

Thankyou for all the reviews! I was feeling quite down and stressed until I read them, and you guys made me feel heaps better.

Oh, and since I posted this on the 25th and you'll probably get this on the 26th, HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

Anyway, to the replies:

**Tiamath:** Thanks. I've been trying to adapt my writing style to fit closer to Jude Watson's, and keep the characters as much in canon as possible, so you've made me feel so much more confident about that. Thankyou. I'm glad you like my fic. And angst … (also has an evil grin) … I love the stuff! Thankyou about the action sequences, they are my absolute favourite things to write (along with any angsty stuff) … my heart was in my mouth as Obi-Wan jumped, too … and I'm writing the thing! I'm so hopeless.

**whatevergirl: **Thankyou for your wonderful reviews. And Xanatos is _very_ determined. I feel kinda sorry for Obi-Wan, but it's so much fun to write. I'm glad Qui-Gon came back, too. Otherwise I was going to have to kill him off, and I didn't want to do that just yet. Poor Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to cope with anything else on his plate, at the moment!

**i luv ewansmile: **I'm sorry, I can't help being evil. It comes naturally. My friends even tell me that I have an evil laugh, so … Anyway, thanks for the awesome reviews. I'm glad you think my fic's kewl. :) I'm sorry chapter 6 was so short, but it was actually the longest one. :) I'm glad you liked it, though.

**Writer of all:** Wow! Even though you started reading after I'd posted heaps of chapters, you reviewed them all! That is so cool. Thankyou so much! I'm blushing so much that you think my fic is the best thing you've read in some time. I'll try to keep my head down to a normal size. I went all warm and fuzzy inside when I read that. Thanks! And I loved writing the speeder fight scene and writing Xanatos, so I'm delighted that you liked reading it, too. Thanks for your amazing reviews!

**Child-of-the-Dawn:** Mushy stuff … you'll have to read on (insert evil grin here). I'm so mean to my reviewers. I'm not overly-keen on OTT mush, but you might get some … if everything turns out as planned for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, that is … (insert another evil grin here). Thanks for your review!

**Yasona Black:** I updated! Yay! I'm excited, too. It seemed as if I never would. :) Thanks once again for your constant reviews!

**The Burninator Named Trogdor:** I feel so sorry for Obi-Wan, too. I am really brutal to him … but I love it. About the Xanatos leaving Obi-Wan alone … whoops, I won't say anything yet, but I'll talk to you about it in a later chapter. :) Xanatos is my favourite bad guy, too. I love being able to write him, that's why I did an AU to "The Dark Rival." He's so awesome in a really evil way. :) Anyway, thanks for your cool review!

**Nathalia Potter:** I have to apologise to you. I never meant for that Author's Note to be offensive. It was written in a light-hearted manner. I will remove it from Chapter 5, however, because I do not wish to offend anyone. I'm glad you informed me of it though, because, as I said, I had no intention to offend anyone. I love my country and its people, so it was not written in discrimination or hate. If you haven't received it yet, I sent you an email explaining my comment. I hope you will accept my apology. :) The only thing I ask is that if you have a complaint about me and not the fic, then please just email me directly. The review page is meant for story reviews. Thankyou :)

**charie:**  
Thanks once again for reviewing! I love getting the stuff! And I'm sorry I took so long to update. :) Thankyou!

**wyldcat:**  
I wondered where you were:) Good guess about the NSW thing! Yay! Oh, and VCE is just HSC in Vic. Same thing, just different names, I think. And about the lightsabre reference: "An idea lit in Obi-Wan's mind like a powered-up lightsabre." Yeah, it was when Obi fought the whipids. :)  
And a chant over the net ... YAY! Oh, and Happy Australia Day! Thanks once again for the ever-awesome reviews!

BaBaKaNuSh13


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N: **Can't think of anything to say at the moment. I'll muse it over for a little longer and hopefully think of something for Chapter 9. I must be sick … usually I'm so good at just blabbing on. I did a Chemistry talk for class, and it was meant to go for about 4 to 5 minutes. Mine went for 45 minutes.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 8**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Great swirling clouds of red dust left a visible track behind Qui-Gon's borrowed speeder as it flew across the wide, open plains of Bandomeer. He'd taken the fastest the Agri-Corps had to offer, the manager's own craft, kept separate from the rest of the speeders in the dome. Although Xanatos had intuitively taken the best two speeders in the Agri-Corps' hangar, they were no match for the one Qui-Gon drove now. If he had been at all interested in such things as ships and spacecraft, he knew he would have been at awe at the beauty and efficiency of the machine.

Qui-Gon reached out to sense Obi-Wan's presence once again. He frowned at the ease he found in the action. He barely had to use any effort at all, now. It unnerved him. He never thought it would be possible for anyone to get past his strong shields, built up and nurtured over his solitary years after Xanatos' turn. But somehow the young Jedi had done it.

A mere boy.

The only effect that they seemed to have against the twelve-year-old attack, was to slightly dampen the connection.

Much to Qui-Gon's utter dismay.

The Jedi Master resisted the instinct to slam his heavy shields back in place, nonetheless. That could happen later. For now he had to find Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon could feel the boy become wearier by the minute. Something wasn't right. He pushed the speeder faster, praying to the Force that the engine would not give out on him before he could reach Obi-Wan. He could tell the boy was alarmed. That made Qui-Gon uneasy.

He looked up to the horizon. He was getting closer, now, he could feel it.

There, in the distance, he could see a large object, zooming across the red landscape. It was Obi-Wan, he was sure of it. The boy's presence grew stronger in his mind as distance between them dwindled.

Suddenly, another speeder zipped out from behind Obi-Wan. It had been hidden in the craft's dusty wake, but now came up alongside him. There was a black-clad figure in the pilot's seat.

Xanatos leaned across and yelled something to Obi-Wan, but he didn't answer back. For the first time, Qui-Gon noticed the boy's slumped figure. Before his eyes, Obi-Wan's head slowly bowed as if he couldn't hold it up anymore. Xanatos seemed to notice it as well. He slammed his craft into the side of Obi-Wan's. He pulled away just as quickly, but swerved back to the side again, repeatedly crashing into the craft.

The repulsorlifts on one side of Obi-Wan's speeder cut out with the last collision, and its front edge hit the ground. The engine died with a loud bang, and the rear end baulked. Obi-Wan was thrown from the speeding craft, landing in an unmoving heap metres away. The upended speeder finally slid to a stop, so that it just nudged the boy's prone form.

Qui-Gon resisted from screaming out to Obi-Wan. It would not help anyone … but he feared for the boy. The young Jedi was still yet to move from where he'd fallen.

Qui-Gon silently urged his land speeder to go faster. He was only a good five hundred metres away, now.

Xanatos pulled his craft to a standstill and jumped out of it, landing next to Obi-Wan. He reached down to the boy and felt for his pulse. If he wasn't so worried, Qui-Gon would have been intrigued with what seemed like out of character actions for the man.

What was his former Apprentice doing?

Xanatos knelt down next to Obi-Wan and hefted his much smaller form into his arms.

Nearly there …

Qui-Gon slammed on the brakes and leapt from the still-moving vehicle, igniting his lightsabre and blocking the dark Jedi's path.

"Put him down, Xanatos!"

Xanatos grinned, not showing any signs of surprise at all. "No, I don't thing I will, Jinny. You see, I hold both my, and your, future in my arms, here. Think about that." He took another step forward.

Qui-Gon's mind raced. What was he talking about?

"I'm warning you, Xanatos, put him down!"

The dark-haired man laughed uproariously. "You're warning _me_? I think it's the other way around, old man." He glanced down at Obi-Wan. "Have you forgotten that I have the upper hand, Jedi?"

Qui-Gon tried once more. "This is between you and me, leave Obi-Wan out of it."

Xanatos stopped and cocked his head to the side, a grin spreading across his pale face.

"You still don't see it, do you? This boy is my insurance. Even if I never live to kill you, Qui-Gon, he will … and together we will make your life a living misery. I will make sure of it."

The Jedi Master suppressed a shudder. No, not Kenobi.

"And just know, Qui-Gon, that even after you and I are dead, my legacy will live on."

Qui-Gon pushed back the fear that had risen up in his throat.

Betrayal.

No, he thought, not again.

Qui-Gon took a deep breath. "No, Xanatos, you are wrong. Obi-Wan is not like you. He would never turn his back on his training. He would never become a disgrace to the human race as you have. He would never turn to the Dark side."

And, for the first time, Qui-Gon realised it was true. He finally believed what he was saying.

Obi-Wan was not Xanatos.

He never would be.

Xanatos snarled. Vicious anger marred his handsome face. "Get out of the way, old man!"

"No," Qui-Gon said, taking a step forward. "You will be brought to justice for your actions against the Republic, Xanatos. You would do best to just give yourself up now."

Obi-Wan stirred, his eyes finally flickering open, but they were unfocussed and he seemed unaware of what was going on around him.

The former Jedi bared his teeth grotesquely before letting Obi-Wan's form fall from his arms. In a lightning-fast movement, he dropped on top of the young Jedi. He knelt one knee on Obi-Wan's thighs, the other on his left arm, ignoring the boy's useless right shoulder. He pressed one hand down on the boy's exposed neck, whipping out a vibro-shiv. He held the blade, poised steadily above Obi-Wan's ribs.

Qui-Gon froze and Xanatos grinned.

"That's right, Master Jedi, one more move and I'll stick him like a tauntaun. Now step away from the speeder."

Qui-Gon hesitated.

"Move, or I'll gut him."

Qui-Gon took a step away but paused, faltering.

Xanatos smiled cruelly and drove the tip of the vibro-shiv into the gap between Obi-Wan's ribs, just enough so that he began to writhe in the older man's grip, whimpering slightly in pain.

Qui-Gon quickly took a few more steps back.

"Much better," Xanatos said. He got up, dragging Obi-Wan with him, holding the shiv against his neck. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be borrowing that faster speeder of yours."

He crossed over to it and opened the door with one hand.

Obi-Wan, head still bowed, instinctively struggled against Xanatos' tight grip. The Dark Jedi pulled the boy around and backhanded him sharply across the face. His head snapped to the side.

Qui-Gon was transfixed, watching the interaction intently. He wanted to help, but knew if he did at that moment he would simply endanger Obi-Wan further. The boy was breathing heavily, but he determinedly lifted his chin, holding his head high and glaring at Xanatos with glassy eyes.

"Leave him alone," Qui-Gon said to Xanatos, clenching his fists.

Xanatos just grunted, but a confused look passed over Obi-Wan's face. He glanced around blearily to notice Qui-Gon for the first time. Pure relief bathed his features in a weary smile

Qui-Gon couldn't help but send a small reassuring smile back at him. The boy was okay for now.

At that moment Qui-Gon noticed the shift in Obi-Wan's eyes. He was planning something.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan let himself hang limply in Xanatos' hold, so that the man had to support all of his dead weight. Xanatos wrapped one arm around Obi-Wan's neck and shoulders and lifted him up, snarling. The boy kicked out with his heels, connecting with Xanatos several times before the dark Jedi hit him hard over the head with the base of the vibro-shiv hilt. Obi-Wan's eyes rolled back. He slumped, unconscious in the man's arms.

Xanatos attempted to get into the speeder, still holding the vibro-shiv against Obi-Wan's neck and supporting his entire weight at the same time. Qui-Gon chose that moment to attack. He leapt forward. Xanatos threw the boy away from him before parrying Qui-Gon's strike towards his midsection. He stepped over Obi-Wan to continue the fight.

Former Master and Apprentice exchanged blow after blow. Neither seemed to be able to gain the upper hand for long. Qui-Gon blocked a strike aimed at his head, and jumped back quickly at another which was intended to cut through his knees. He lunged, sending Xanatos leaping metres back from a strike that would have skewered him.

Qui-Gon took advantage of the mere second of time he had won.

He reached out quickly to Obi-Wan's presence. The boy's absolute stillness was unnerving. He faltered as he felt the utter confusion, disorientation and pain emanating from the young Jedi as he hovered, just out of reach of consciousness. The boy needed to get to a medic.

Guilt swamped Qui-Gon.

It was all his fault.

He should have protected Obi-Wan.

The moment's distraction cost Qui-Gon. With a gleeful swipe, Xanatos knocked his lightsabre to the side and kicked out to connect solidly with his chest. The blow threw him back several metres, and he crashed heavily to the ground. Xanatos leapt after him and held his blood-red sabre to the man's exposed neck, pinning him down as effectively as he had Obi-Wan.

Xanatos roared with laughter. "You're not the Jedi I thought you were, after all. You're just a weak old man, Jinny. I don't know why I ever perceived you as some sort of threat.

"And now, Qui-Gon Jinn, I will kill you as you killed my father. A life for a life. I will make you suffer in agony, as the last breath leaves your body. Know this, Qui-Gon, as you die, that you have failed everyone. Most of all, Jinn, you failed me and you failed Kenobi."

Xanatos swiftly raised his lightsabre before Qui-Gon had time to react, and drove it down towards his unprotected stomach.

Albeit rather slow and painful, a killing blow, nevertheless.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Oh no! A cliffie! Watch out, Qui-Gon!

Okay, I've had enough of that, now.

I just realised, that I was going on about having nothing to say, in the Author's Note at the beginning of the chapter, and then it amounted to 62 words of having nothing to say.

That's a lot of nothings.

Anyway, I'll let you all go, now … only if – you guessed it – you review!

I'm so predictable.

Oh, nearly forgot. Replies. Oh, wait a second, before I do, I since I've been hearing from a whole bunch of Australians, I would love to hear where **all **of you come from. That doesn't mean you have to tell me your address or anything, unless you want to, and that's fine, too. I'm just really interested in finding out where my readers are reading from. Thanks!

Okay, **now** to replies:

**wyldcat:** Wow, you got to reviewing fast! I hope you enjoyed Australia Day fireworks. There weren't too many because of the bushfires, so I only got to see a couple go off on TV. Bit disappointing. Oh well, there's always next year. Anyway, thanks for the super cool review! Much appreciated. :)

**master kaym:** Well, here's more for you! Thanks for reviewing once again, I love hearing from you guys! It makes me feel fuzzy … it's the "fuzz effect" … oh, wait only MuggleCast fans would understand that. Sorry, wrong Universe. We're in JA, not HP, aren't we? Okay, getting off track. Thanks for the review!

**Clone Trooper:** I know what you mean by suspense being terrible and wonderful … that's why I can't decide which is better: WIPs or finished fics! Anyway, thanks for the review, I haven't heard from you before here, so I give you a big, hearty "WELCOME!" to my review board. Thanks:)

**whatevergirl:** Hmm, I think you're the only one with any faith in Qui-Gon at the moment. I've heard so many times already that he's such a git. :) I don't know who'd be more help at the moment … Xanatos or Qui-Gon. Okay, I think I'll stop there because I'm just thinking about things way too much now. It's currently 1:37 am and I have to get some sleep. I only just finished working. Whinge, whinge, whine. I'm sorry! Anyway, thanks for reviewing once again!

**Bloody Dead Rose:** Love the name! I haven't seen you here yet, either, so "WELCOME!" to you, too. I'm glad you like my fic. And I'm sorry I take so long to update :( I'm a bit slack. :) Wow, that was a quick mood change … from a sad face to a happy face in four words! By the Force I'm crazy when I'm tired. Here I am, just rambling on when I should be thanking you. So, thanks for the feedback!

**i luv ewansmile:** I hope you didn't wait for nothing! But I _did_ leave you with a cliffie, so I hope you'll forgive me for the last chapter. :) Anyway, thanks for reviewing again! I love when people do that.

**Writer of All:** You are the coolest. No, seriously. You've reviewed every chapter! Wow! I really put the pressure on you last chapter, didn't I? He he he! I'm so evil. Sorry, evil should really go something like Mwahaha! He he he is for little Santa's elves or something. Oh, lack of sleep showing through. Anyway, you don't really have to reply to every chappie if you don't want to … I won't get upset (soz, just trying to take the pressure off you :) ). You are too nice in your reviews! Thanks about how I write Xanatos … I was actually really nervous about portraying him right. You made me feel so much better. And about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, too. And I would absolutely love it if you would email me _when_ you write Xanatos, Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon:) Anyway, thanks for your awesomely long, inspiring review! You really made me feel more confident! Ta.

**Child-of-the-Dawn:** Mwahaha! I really am so evil! Why _do_ you have a bad feeling about this? (I'm trying to confuse you, now, but I don't think I'm doing a very good job of it.) But, I refuse to comment further. Think of it as that I'm just giving you a little extra angst, here. I guess I do have to agree with you about mush, though … especially since my dentist keeps telling me to cut down on sugar every time I visit her. Whoops! Maybe I really should read more mush instead of eating that whole packet of skittles I just had! Anywho, thanks for the brill review!

**The Burninator Named Trogdor:** It's cold where you are! Send some to me. My email address can be found through my bio page. :) My family doesn't believe in heaters, either, although it doesn't actually snow very often in Australia. Only on the mountains. We've had snow at our house twice in my lifetime, and that was about one or two centimetres thick … and we live at the base of the mountains! I do love your idea, but somehow I don't think I could pull it off. You have great vision, though. Oh, I'd love to read that. :) Two evil studs making life hard for the Jedi … Anyway, thanks for the review!

**JediBant:** YAY! Another Aussie! Soon we'll be taking over the site! And Happy Australia Day for you, too! And, Force do I love some good Obi-torture, too! I particularly love reading Cassia's many Obi-tortures. They're brill! Tell you what, next fic I start, I'll try to include more Obi-torture. Deal:) Anywho, thanks for making yourself known … I love to hear from fellow Aussies … actually, I love to hear from everyone:)

**Tiamath:** I've heard that writing drunk can improve the story … as long as you go back and change all the incorrect tenses afterwards:) I agree with you … poor Obi! I'm such a big meanie to him, aren't I? Okay, I can't hide it anymore … I feel no regret! I love watching him suffer a little. It sounds awful, but it's so much fun – Obi-angst … yummy! You were right about Obi-Wan being in for a rough ride … after this chapter, literally:) Thanks for your brill review!

**Nelarun: **Another Aussie! I was so excited when I saw where you were from. YAY! Hope you had a great Australia Day. Qui-Gon is pretty cold isn't he? I like your thoughts, and I'm glad you like my fic. Oh, BTW, "WELCOME!" to you, as well. Anyway, thanks for your review!

BaBaKaNuSh13


	9. Chapter 9 old version

**NB: THIS IS AN OLD VERSION OF THE CHAPTER. PLEASE CONTINUE TO NEXT CHAPTER FOR CURRENT VERSION.**

**Thankyou :)**

**BaBaKaNuSh-13  
**

_Title: The Quandary  
Author: BaBaKaNuSh-13  
Category: Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
Summary: AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
Rating: PG/K+  
Spoilers: Minor ones for the JA books  
Archive: Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
Disclaimer: The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue._

_A/N: I have nothing to say._

_Gasp!_

_No one collapse from shock … I haven't got my bronze medallion yet, so definitely don't fall into any pools as you do it._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_Chapter 9_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_Qui-Gon took one last look up at his former Apprentice's eyes. Time seemed to slow down, the man's powerful arms thrusting his red lightsabre straight for his midsection. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let Xanatos get away, couldn't let him destroy Obi-Wan._

_How could he save the boy if he was dead?_

_How could he train the boy?_

_And in that last thought, Qui-Gon finally realised that he __did want to train the boy._

_But it was too late._

_He would be dead soon, and Obi-Wan would be lost to Xanatos. Not that he thought the determined boy would ever turn. He knew that he wouldn't, but he was sure that Xanatos would kill Obi-Wan when he didn't._

_Qui-Gon stared at Xanatos' kill-hungry face and mourned for the loss of the bright boy that he'd once known. He closed his eyes, waiting for the oncoming death blow._

_A moment passed, and yet nothing happened._

_Another moment._

_Nothing._

_Qui-Gon's eyes flew open to see Xanatos' shocked face, eyes wide, lip twitching in pain. His lightsabre dropped from nerveless fingers, and Qui-Gon winced as it brushed his stomach before hitting the ground and deactivating. The Jedi Master looked up as Xanatos stepped back, staring, surprised, at the vibrant blue beam protruding from his chest._

_Xanatos turned to face Obi-Wan, who stood behind him, still holding his activated lightsabre. He took in a ragged breath. "I knew you had potential, Kenobi. You just destroyed any chance of a future," he shuddered, trying to cheat death._

_"I'll see you in hell,"Xanatos finally said. And with one last snarl, he collapsed lifelessly to the ground between the two Jedi._

_He was dead._

_Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan, surprised. The boy had just saved his life._

_Obi-Wan stared back at him, mouth agape and eyes wide._

_Qui-Gon was sure that it was the first time he'd directly killed someone with his sabre. The boy deactivated the blue-bladed weapon numbly and stepped back. He stumbled and fell to the ground. Qui-Gon quickly pushed himself up and stepped over Xanatos' lifeless body, forgetting the fallen Jedi for the moment. He knelt at Obi-Wan's side._

_Obi-Wan looked up to him with confusion swimming in his oceanic eyes._

_"I killed him," he whispered. "I killed him. I – I didn't – I –"_

_Qui-Gon put a steadying hand on the boy's shaking shoulder. "It's okay, Obi-Wan, you had to. You saved my life. Thankyou."_

_Obi-Wan nodded his head numbly, eyes glazed._

_Qui-Gon frowned. He needed to get the boy to the Healer's quickly. He had been through too much._

_Qui-Gon reached out and tugged Obi-Wan's tunic up to check the wound there. The young Jedi didn't resist. Qui-Gon winced at the sight of the mangled flesh of the boy's side. It was nothing that a good dip in a bacta tank couldn't fix, but it was a nasty injury, nevertheless. Qui-Gon removed his robe and ripped large strips from the hem of it. He lay it on the ground and pushed Obi-Wan gently back on the top of it, so that he could get access to his side. Obi-Wan complied without a hint of protest. His eyes were fixed determinedly, staringly,on the horizon. Qui-Gon could feel the waves of sheer exhaustion radiating off him._

_The Jedi Master wadded the robe's hood up. He pressed it to the side wound to stop the sluggish bleeding which had started again. He held it in place bytying strips of his robe around the Obi-Wan's trembling frame. Satisfied that it would do well enough until they got back to the Agri-Corps, Qui-Gon helped the boy sit up. He picked up some of the leftover fabric strips and bound Obi-Wan's right arm to his body, restricting any movement which would aggravate his dislocated shoulder further._

_It bothered the Qui-Gon that Obi-Wan was still yet to respond sentiently to him. Nevertheless, he supported the boy to the speeder and settled him into the passenger seat of the two-man craft. Qui-Gon wrapped what remained of his robe around the boy._

_He glanced down at his own wound. It was just a mild burn. Nevertheless it stung, but the annoyance waseasily bearable enough to push away without any difficulties._

_He walked back to Xanatos' body and dragged it distastefully over to Obi-Wan's crashed speeder, still upended. He placed the body underneath to protect it from the blistering sun and any hardy scavengers around. He would return for it later, once he'd delivered Obi-Wan to the Healers._

_Driving the borrowed speeder as fast as possible back to the Agri-Corps, Qui-Gon glanced down at Obi-Wan's still form for the third time in as many minutes. He was reluctant to admit it, but Qui-Gon was fearful for the boy. He'd remained unmoving in his seat since Qui-Gon had placed him there. It was only in the last five minutes that he'd closed his eyes and fallen into unconsciousness. Until then, he'd just stared blankly ahead with dull, glazed eyes._

_Qui-Gon reached out with one large hand to touch Obi-Wan's smooth young forehead. It was hotter than the tall Jedi cared for. He could feel the boy still trembling under his hand. Soon Obi-Wan's eyes began to move restlessly behind closed lids, and his breathing came fast and shallow. He was deep into shock now._

_Qui-Gon glanced once more at Obi-Wan and took a deep breath. He knew he'd have to help Force heal Obi-Wan; they were still a distance away from the Agri-Corps. He dreaded the thought of it – he'd never even tried it with either of his previous Padawans before, with whom he'd had a long-practised training bond._

_But his bond with the boy ... it was so pure, so raw and natural._

_Qui-Gongripped the steering stick tighter and set his resolve. He would have to do this, he assured himself, there was no other way. Qui-Gon looked over to the boy in the passenger's seat as he began to shiver more violently. It was the push he needed._

_Qui-Gon set the speeder to autopilot, and reached out to the growing bond in his mind, connecting with Obi-Wan. He took note of the boy's injuries, and focussed his attention on the blaster wound. It was worse than he'd originally thought. Never having been taught any of the healing arts, Qui-Gon knew it was beyond his abilities to mend such a complex injury. Instead, he poured the Force into Obi-Wan, burning the worst of his fever away._

_Qui-Gon continually fed energy into the boy for the rest of the trip, keeping him stable. They couldn't have reached the Agri-Corps compound fast enough for the Jedi Master. He picked up Obi-Wan's boneless form from the passenger seat as soon as they'd pulled up at the med facilities. He pushed hurriedly past a flustered RonTha, who was gibbering unstoppably at the sight of his prone charge, and burst through the large double doors._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_One chapter to go, guys._

_Wow, I just realised how short this fic is. I'm currently writing a HP one, and I've done about 30,000 words, and they haven't even gotten to Hogwarts yet! This is about 13,500 words in total. That's a big difference. I think that's why JA is so much easier to write – the missions can be as short as you want them to be, but with HP you generally need to do the whole year. If anyone was interested, the HP story is called "Power Surge," and should be up in the next one or two years. It's a Harry-Ginny fic (I've always been their shipper), set in Harry's sixth year. Look out for it, either here or atSIYE - it's an awesome Harry-Ginny site. Just Google it, since I can never type web addresses here._

_Most of all, I have to apologise for my late update … okay, super late update. My grandmother has just recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so I have naturally gone to visit her many times. Because she lives nearly four hours away (depends on who is driving. With my dad it's three hours :) ) I haven't had much time to get to the net. And then I've just moved down to Melbourne, to on-campus accommodation at Swinburne to start Uni, which meant that I didn't have the net until just now. So, I apologise profusely to everyone, especially when I left you all with such a big cliffie._

_Thankyou to everyone who reviewed. There were so many of you! Thanks! So, now I have a record-number of replies for chapter 8, to a total of 20 reviewers. Thanks guys! Much appreciated. :) Oh, and also, I've decided that as soon as this fic is finished (as in fully posted) I'm going to remove all the replies I've added here. They're longer than the story:) However, never fear because I've created a Yahoo Group so that you can see them there, as well as ask questions, get updates recommendations and sneak peeks of any work that I'm doing. You'll have to go to the yahoo groups home page, then search "bonhomie." Once again, I can't include addresses. Grrrr! I get so frustrated!_

_To replies:_

_Nathalia Potter: You got to reviewing quickly! Thanks! I guess it helps that we're in the same time zone … when I post it's about 1:00 am for some people … but anyway, thanks! I absolutely loved your review … I couldn't stop laughing for so long! I can't argue with you there … rabid fans are uber scary! I hope I updated soon enough hides behind her computer screen as she is attacked by a mob. I know, I know, I'm really slack. I always take so long! You know what generation Aussie you are? Wow! I still can't work it out, but one of my ancestors came over with the first fleet as a convict. Great record, huh? Anyway, thanks for the awesome review!_

_Nelarun: I __am Aussie. Er, actually if you have knives, er, I don't live there anymore … I live far, far away from you … ;) And my fic has fans? Wow, that's soooo sweet. I'm really happy now. Thanks! And I'm sorry about the cliffie, but I can't help myself. I'm a cliffie junkie. Anyway, thanks for your wonderful review!_

_Sithspawned: Hmm, you never know who I might kill off … maybe even Xanatos … hmm – wait, that just happened. Dammit, I was trying to be mysterious. It never works out for me. Anyway, thanks for you awesome review, and I'm glad you love this fic. It means a lot to me to hear that. Ta! Oh, and a big, fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page. :)_

_Lilly: Germany? Wow! That's awesome! Thanks for telling me … that's a long way from here. I sound so dumb at the moment, so I'll stop :). I'm glad you like my story, thankyou. Oh, and by the way, a big and warm "WELCOME!" to my review page! Thanks for your review!_

_Clone Trooper: No probs, I'm glad to have you here. :) I do feel a little sorry for Obi-Wan, too. Though I love the angst too much to feel too bad. I'm so evil. I love that: "Make Jinny get Xanny." Very good. :)_

_Child-of-the-Dawn: You're reviewing before school? That's so cool! You are so dedicated. You could have waited until after school, you know … I wouldn't have minded. Thanks, though! Wow! I feel so privileged. Thanks! And it's alright, I fixed Xan up for you … though I think I gave him more than just a smack … do you think a hole through the chest was too much:D I think I'll have to start reading or writing more mush or something, too, and follow your lead. You have a great idea going there, since yesterday I had to go to the dentist to get a filling! Anyway, thanks for your awesome review!_

_master kaym: I know, I know, I'm evil. :) I've had just about everyone tell me that, so far … including myself. I'm under no delusions … I know I'm evil, especially when it comes to cliffies. :) I love when Qui-Gon is worried for Obi-Wan, too. He can be a really cold git sometimes, so it's nice to see him fret over Obi-Wan's wellbeing. And I agree with you about reviews. I __should write for myself, but it makes it so much easier when you get reviews! Anyway, thanks for __your review!_

_whatevergirl: Xanatos is great? Er, you make me nervous. I killed him off, and now I'm bound to get a million flames. Not that I have that many people reading this fic. Anywho, sorry! Oh, and I had faith in Qui-Gon, too … but only because I knew what was going to happen. :) I love how you had faith in him, though. Qui-Gon needs a bit of the stuff, though he __does deserve a little doubt, leaving Obi-Wan on Bandomeer like that. Pouts Nasty Master. Oh, I am so crazy. I wrote the thing and yet I'm still getting grumpy with Qui-Gon because of what he's done in the fic. Yep, mental. :) Anyway, guess I'd better go, now. Thanks for your review!_

_coymelody: Sorry I took so long to update! Hope you didn't actually go crazy. But then again, if you did you could just join me and we could write fics and go on crazy sprees together. Hey, it works for me. :) Anyway, back on topic. Thanks for you review! Oh, and "WELCOME!" to my review page. I love seeing new … I was going to say faces, but I don't actually know what anyone looks like. So, er, I love getting new pen-names! Anyway, thanks for your awesome review!_

_Tiamath: Early birthday … well, belated birthday now. I turned 18 on the 4th. Yay! Now I can legally write while I'm drunk:) Heh heh heh. Actually, that sounds that now I'm 18 I can write while I'm drunk, not the other way around. Meh, oh well. Doesn't matter at this time of night. Anyway, thanks a mill for the Happy Birthday! I actually thought of changing the ending of the story when I read you review. Maybe I should write an AU ending to my AU ending. Hmm, that would be an idea. It might stop all the Xanatos fans from trying to kill me … Anywho, thanks for your awesome review! Oh, and I've heard 'eh' a lot, but 'er' is one that stumps me. I think I'm the only person I've ever heard say it … and I picked it up from Harry Potter. Oh, I'm such a geek._

_i luv ewansmile: You summed it up perfectly … the whole Qui-Gon's smiling at Obi-Wan, and he's smiling back. I hadn't really thought about it that much. I love it! Yay! Qui-Gon is such a dufus (sorry, I've been using that word a lot recently … my sister has got a chocolate Labrador puppy and it's slightly … er, silly. Anyway, it's become my favourite word, now). Qui-Gon finally gets it through his thick skull that Obi-Wan isn't like Xanatos and then drops his guard and … well, yeah. I'll stop now. Anywho, I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this update! I know, I'm slack :)! Anyway, thanks for your awesome review!_

_Yasona Black: I guess you're in a Quandary, then … about cliffies, that is. Oh, my lame joke just got worse. I didn't think it was possible. I hadn't seen you for a while … I thought I'd scared you off … one of my first reviewers! But, yay, I found you again:) No, seriously, it's nice to have you back, is all. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for your review!_

_The Burninator Named Trogdor: Oh, you are so going to kill me about Xanatos! Sorry, but I had this planned and written up for so long! Don't hurt me! cringes But I absolutely love your fic idea. I think I should email you and we should work out an awesome storyline. I love the fever idea. If there's anyone else reading these messages between Laura and I, the ideas are copywritten … copywrited … are they words? … you know what I mean … to Laura, so no stealing! Or else I'll hunt you down and give you my craziness. Grr! Sorry, back on topic. You gave me an idea with your hate vibes (and by the way, I did see them :) ) SUN, HOT, SWIMMING, BEACH … er, I can't think of any more words at the moment. But, did you feel the heat vibes? I hope they helped. Anyway, thanks for you ever-awesome and totally essay-length review:) I'll contact you._

_Cowgirl4Christ: I had to look Maine up to see where you were from, and found out that Maine's state bird was a chickadee. I didn't know it was a real bird! I feel so stupid. Anyway, "WELCOME!" to my review page. It's nice to have you. Thankyou for your wonderful comments! I'm sorry I took so long to update._

_Geri K: Another Aussie! We're definitely going to take over this website. ;D And you had awesome front-row seats for the fireworks. Cool! Not fair! Anywho, ta for the review!_

_wyldcat: Back to school … you poor thing! I've just started Uni, but I only have a few hours a week so far. Yay! I didn't know you were from Sydney, I just knew you were from good ol' NSW. I know, I know, I'm sorry … another cliffie! I just love them. Like I told Nelarun, I'm a cliffie junkie:) Anyway, as always, thanks for you wonderful review!_

_Writer of all: But you have reviewed every chapter! And I got your longest review for anything on any site? I'm speechless! Wow! That is so awesome! Really, I'm having trouble breathing while I type this! THANKYOU SO MUCH! Wow, I can't think of anything to write … and that's saying something … It's usually virtually impossible to shut me up:D I'm glad you liked the cliffie … I keep on being told that I'm evil for having such a horrible cliffie, so it's nice to hear that you enjoyed it! Anyway, thanks for your brilliant review, as ever!_

_Fifilla: I'm glad you like my fic. And you've been reading "The Death of All Hope"? Wow! Thanks! I know, I know, I'm evil about cliffies! ;D And I'm sorry I take so long to update, too! You're from Germany, too? Awesome. So is one of my other reviewers! Anyway, a big, warm and fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page! Thanks for the awesome comments!_

_Kim: I hope I didn't make you wait too long. I attempt to update often, but with trying to get organised for Uni, it ends up that I only get to post once a week! Meh. I'm so slack! I'm glad you liked reading the last chappie, though. And I think I owe you a warm "WELCOME!" to my review page!_

_Jedi Master Kekelina: Well, yet another warm "WELCOME!" :) I thought at first you were telling me that you were going to kill me, but then I realised that you were talking about Xanatos … whew! ;D I've already been threatened by a mob of rabid fans … and I didn't even know this fic had fans! I'm sorry about the late update, too! I can't believe how long it took me! Anyway, babbling on here. So tired. Anywho, thanks for your review! Hope you liked the update!_

_Okay, done now._

_TTFN._

_BaBaKaNuSh-13_


	10. Chapter 9 Rewritten

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh-13  
**Category:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.**  
Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N #2:** Okay, here it is, guys … A re-written chapter 9. I really hated the first version … euck! Anyway, I've re-done it, so if you want, you can read it again. I think it's much improved, but that might just be me. Also, I left the A/N and the review from the first edit at the bottom of the chapter, so if it seems like you've read it before, it's because you have.

And I'm so sorry that I've been gone for so long! I've had disaster after disaster happen, and then I lost all confidence in my writing. :( It was bloody chapter 9 that did it (the previous version of it, anyway), because I just hated what I posted.

**Dedication:** This chapter, besides being dedicated to all the wonderful readers and reviewers out there, is specifically giving a shout out to the wonderful **Shan** and **Writer** **of All**. Thankyou **Shan** for the awesome constructive review which helped me realise what I hated so much about the previous edit of chapter 9, so that I could fix it. You made this chapter so much better with another of your wonderful and constant reviews that makes each chapter so much easier to face. And **Writer of All**, thankyou so much for being there for me and giving me the confidence to redo this until "I wrote for me" :)! LOL! You're probably sick of hearing me say that quote, but thankyou so much, once again!

**A/N: **I have nothing to say.

Gasp!

No one collapse from shock … I haven't got my bronze medallion yet, so definitely don't fall into any pools as you do it.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 9**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon took one last look up at his former Apprentice's eyes. Time seemed to slow down, the younger man's powerful arms thrusting the pulsing red lightsabre straight for his midsection. The light reflected off his pale, wild, greedy face, giving it an eerie crimson glow. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let Xanatos get away, couldn't let him destroy Obi-Wan.

How could he save the boy if he was dead?

How could he _train_ the boy?

And in that last thought, Qui-Gon finally realised it.

He _did_ want to train the boy.

But it was too late. He would be dead soon, and Obi-Wan would be forever lost to Xanatos. His former Apprentice would win. Not that he thought the determined boy would ever turn. He knew that Obi-Wan wouldn't, but he was sure that Xanatos would kill him when he didn't. And he was sure that it wouldn't likely be a quick death.

Qui-Gon stared at Xanatos' kill-hungry face, soaking in every detail, from the sharp curve of his jaw, to the prominent broken circle on his cheek, and mourned for the loss of the bright boy that he'd once known.

That scar had not always been there.

The gap between them had not always been there.

Xanatos had not always been who he was, broiling in darkness. They were like that circle, really, he and Xanatos. They were each one half of it, pasts joined, yet futures split brutally, unconnecting. And it seemed as if they never would, now. All hope Qui-Gon ever had to help Xanatos fight who he had become promptly fluttered away on the slight breeze that ruffled their hair and sprayed them with tiny granules of sand.

It was inevitable. Qui-Gon closed his eyes, waiting for the oncoming death blow.

A moment passed, and yet nothing happened. His eyes flew open in confusion, to see Xanatos' shocked face, eyes wide, lip twitching in pain. His lightsabre dropped from nerveless fingers, and Qui-Gon winced as it brushed his stomach before hitting the ground and deactivating.

Still unable to move from some unknown force – maybe fascination, confusion, or maybe the realisation that he had another chance – the Jedi Master looked up and simply watched as Xanatos stepped back, staring, surprised, at the bright blue beam protruding from his chest.

Xanatos turned to face Obi-Wan, who stood behind him, still holding his activated lightsabre. "I knew you had potential, Kenobi. You just destroyed any chance of a future," Xanatos shuddered, trying to cheat death, taking in a rasping breath. It echoed around the open plain, ringing obtusely loud in Qui-Gon's unbelieving ears and filling him with sorrow – both for the young boy who had been forced to make such an awful decision, and for the dark Jedi, who had become so lost.

Xanatos took one last breath, which rattled grotesquely in his chest. His face had become defeated, almost forlorn, and Qui-Gon nearly forgot about the person his former Apprentice had become ...

Until his helpless look was suddenly stowed away and masked by savage glee as he turned his face in a last, burning smile at Obi-Wan.

"I'll see you in hell," he rasped. Energy gone and life disappeared, Xanatos collapsed bonelessly to the ground between the two Jedi, leaving a hollow silence in his wake.

After several moments of this stunned lull in the roar of racing events, Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan with dawning surprise. The boy had just saved his life.

Obi-Wan stared back at him, mouth agape and eyes wide. His chest heaved laboriously, though Qui-Gon knew it wasn't simply from exertion, but rather from shock, horror, self-doubt …

Qui-Gon pushed himself up and stepped over Xanatos' lifeless body. Although he would mourn for the fallen Jedi, he knew that now was not the time. Xanatos had been tragically lost. Obi-Wan was not. He had to choose his priorities.

The boy deactivated the blue-bladed weapon numbly and stepped back. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

Qui-Gon knelt worriedly at Obi-Wan's side and placed a large hand on his shaking shoulder. hiss brow knitted together. He was sure that it must have been the first time Obi-Wan had directly killed someone with his sabre.

Obi-Wan looked up to him with confusion swimming in his oceanic eyes.

"I killed him," he whispered. "I killed him. I – I didn't – I –"

Qui-Gon unconsciously tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder, silently cursing both himself and his former Apprentice for doing this to the young Jedi. He had abandoned the boy and left him to the vices of Xanatos ... once again.

Qui-Gon took a steadying breath to calm himself. There was no point, no worthy outcome, in harbouring anger towards the dead.

"It's alright, Obi-Wan, you had to. You saved my life. Thankyou."

Obi-Wan nodded his head numbly, unbelievingly, the oceanic depths of his eyes glazed and still for the first time.

Qui-Gon frowned. He needed to get Kenobi to the Healer's quickly. The boy had been through too much.

Qui-Gon, with quick, efficient movements, reached out and tugged Obi-Wan's blood-soaked tunic up to check the wound there. The young Jedi didn't resist. Qui-Gon winced at the sight of the mangled flesh of the boy's side. It was nothing that a good dip in a bacta tank couldn't fix, but it was a nasty injury, nevertheless. Qui-Gon removed his robe and ripped large strips from the hem of it. He lay it on the ground and pushed Obi-Wan gently back on the top of it, so that he could get access to his side. Any resistance left in Obi-Wan had disappeared completely, as if all of his will had departed with Xanatos' last breath. Qui-Gon could feel the waves of sheer exhaustion radiating off the boy.

The Jedi Master wadded the robe's hood up. He pressed it to the wound to stop the sluggish bleeding, which had started again with every jolting movement he had made. He held the brown pad in place by wrapping strips of his robe around the Obi-Wan's trembling frame. Satisfied that the makeshift bandages would do well enough until they got back to the Agri-Corps, Qui-Gon helped the boy sit up. He picked up some of the leftover fabric strips and bound Obi-Wan's right arm to his body, restricting any movement which would aggravate his dislocated shoulder further.

It bothered the Qui-Gon that Obi-Wan was still yet to respond sentiently to him, merely sitting, slumped, as he was tended to. Nevertheless, Qui-Gon supported the boy to the speeder and settled him into the passenger seat of the two-man craft. He wrapped what remained of his torn robe around the boy.

Qui-Gon walked back to Xanatos' body and dragged it distastefully over to Obi-Wan's crashed speeder, still upended. He placed the body underneath to protect it from the blistering sun and any hardy scavengers around that might be around. He would return for it later, once he'd delivered Obi-Wan to the Healers, but for now there was only room for he and Obi-Wan in the craft.

Driving the borrowed speeder as fast as possible back to the Agri-Corps, Qui-Gon glanced down at Obi-Wan's still form for the third time in as many minutes. He was reluctant to admit it, but Qui-Gon was fearful for the boy. He'd remained unmoving in his seat since Qui-Gon had placed him there. It was only in the last five minutes that he'd closed his eyes and fallen into unconsciousness. Until then, he'd just stared blankly ahead with glazed eyes.

Qui-Gon reached out with one large hand to touch Obi-Wan's smooth young forehead. It was hotter than the tall Jedi cared for. He could feel the boy still trembling under his hand. Soon Obi-Wan's eyes began to move restlessly behind closed lids, and his breathing came fast and shallow. He was deep into shock now.

Qui-Gon reached out to lift his robe up off the boy. He winced. Obi-Wan's hastily-strapped wound was starting to bleed through both the makeshift bandage and his already blood-encrusted tunic. He was losing far too much blood than was safe ... and he was losing it fast. He slowly let the edge of the robe drop down to cover Kenobi.

Qui-Gon glanced once more at Obi-Wan's pallid face and took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. He knew he'd have to help Force heal Obi-Wan; they were still a distance away from the Agri-Corps, and the boy was heading towards a place which he couldn't be brought back from. Qui-Gon dreaded the thought of it – both of having to Force heal the boy, and the fact that if he didn't …

No. That wouldn't happen.

Qui-Gon had to swallow down his trepidation. He'd never even tried Force healing with either of his previous Padawans, with whom he'd had a training bond, let alone anybody else at all. It was something that the Jedi usually left for the healers to do … when they were close enough to reach them in time, anyway. It was a dangerous thing, to perform an untrained Force healing, both for the recipient and the inexperienced healer. There were so many things that could go wrong, but if the bond was deep enough …

Well, Qui-Gon didn't know if he wished it to be or not.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped the steering stick tighter and set his resolve. He would have to do this, he assured himself, there was no other way. Qui-Gon looked over to the boy in the passenger's seat as he began to shiver more violently. It was the push he needed.

Qui-Gon set the speeder to autopilot, and reached out to the growing bond in his mind, connecting with Obi-Wan. He took note of the boy's injuries, and focussed his attention on the blaster wound. It was worse than he'd originally thought. Never having been taught any of the healing arts, Qui-Gon knew it was beyond his abilities to mend such a complex injury. Instead, he poured the Force into Obi-Wan, burning the worst of his fever away and trying to slow his racing heartbeat.

Qui-Gon continually fed energy into the boy for the rest of the trip in a desperate attempt to keep him stable and holding perilously onto unconsciousness, rather than the dreaded touch of a potentially life-stealing coma.

They couldn't have reached the Agri-Corps compound fast enough. He picked up Obi-Wan's boneless form from the passenger seat as soon as he'd pulled up at the med facilities and pushed hurriedly past a flustered RonTha, who was gibbering unstoppably at the sight of his prone charge. He quickly and easily raced through the double entry doors before they had fully opened.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

One chapter to go, guys.

Wow, I just realised how short this fic is. I'm currently writing a HP one, and I've done about 30,000 words, and they haven't even gotten to Hogwarts yet! This is about 13,500 words in total. That's a big difference. I think that's why JA is so much easier to write – the missions can be as short as you want them to be, but with HP you generally need to do the whole year. If anyone was interested, the HP story is called "Power Surge," and should be up in the next one or two years. It's a Harry-Ginny fic (I've always been their shipper), set in Harry's sixth year. Look out for it, either here or atSIYE - it's an awesome Harry-Ginny site. Just Google it, since I can never type web addresses here.

Most of all, I have to apologise for my late update … okay, super late update. My grandmother has just recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so I have naturally gone to visit her many times. Because she lives nearly four hours away (depends on who is driving. With my dad it's three hours :) ) I haven't had much time to get to the net. And then I've just moved down to Melbourne, to on-campus accommodation at Swinburne to start Uni, which meant that I didn't have the net until just now. So, I apologise profusely to everyone, especially when I left you all with such a big cliffie.

Thankyou to everyone who reviewed. There were so many of you! Thanks! So, now I have a record-number of replies for chapter 8, to a total of 20 reviewers. Thanks guys! Much appreciated. :) Oh, and also, I've decided that as soon as this fic is finished (as in fully posted) I'm going to remove all the replies I've added here. They're longer than the story:) However, never fear because I've created a Yahoo Group so that you can see them there, as well as ask questions, get updates recommendations and sneak peeks of any work that I'm doing. You can get the link from my bio page.

To replies:

**Nathalia Potter:** You got to reviewing quickly! Thanks! I guess it helps that we're in the same time zone … when I post it's about 1:00 am for some people … but anyway, thanks! I absolutely loved your review … I couldn't stop laughing for so long! I can't argue with you there … rabid fans are uber scary! I hope I updated soon enough hides behind her computer screen as she is attacked by a mob. I know, I know, I'm really slack. I always take so long! You know what generation Aussie you are? Wow! I still can't work it out, but one of my ancestors came over with the first fleet as a convict. Great record, huh? Anyway, thanks for the awesome review!

**Nelarun:** I _am_ Aussie. Er, actually if you have knives, er, I don't live there anymore … I live far, far away from you … ;) And my fic has fans? Wow, that's soooo sweet. I'm really happy now. Thanks! And I'm sorry about the cliffie, but I can't help myself. I'm a cliffie junkie. Anyway, thanks for your wonderful review!

**Sithspawned: **Hmm, you never know who I might kill off … maybe even Xanatos … hmm – wait, that just happened. Dammit, I was trying to be mysterious. It never works out for me. Anyway, thanks for you awesome review, and I'm glad you love this fic. It means a lot to me to hear that. Ta! Oh, and a big, fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page. :)

**Lilly:** Germany? Wow! That's awesome! Thanks for telling me … that's a long way from here. I sound so dumb at the moment, so I'll stop :). I'm glad you like my story, thankyou. Oh, and by the way, a big and warm "WELCOME!" to my review page! Thanks for your review!

**Clone Trooper: **No probs, I'm glad to have you here. :) I do feel a little sorry for Obi-Wan, too. Though I love the angst too much to feel too bad. I'm so evil. I love that: "Make Jinny get Xanny." Very good. :)

**Child-of-the-Dawn: **You're reviewing before school? That's so cool! You are so dedicated. You could have waited until after school, you know … I wouldn't have minded. Thanks, though! Wow! I feel so privileged. Thanks! And it's alright, I fixed Xan up for you … though I think I gave him more than just a smack … do you think a hole through the chest was too much:D I think I'll have to start reading or writing more mush or something, too, and follow your lead. You have a great idea going there, since yesterday I had to go to the dentist to get a filling! Anyway, thanks for your awesome review!

**master kaym: **I know, I know, I'm evil. :) I've had just about everyone tell me that, so far … including myself. I'm under no delusions … I know I'm evil, especially when it comes to cliffies. :) I love when Qui-Gon is worried for Obi-Wan, too. He can be a really cold git sometimes, so it's nice to see him fret over Obi-Wan's wellbeing. And I agree with you about reviews. I _should _write for myself, but it makes it so much easier when you get reviews! Anyway, thanks for _your_ review!

**whatevergirl:** Xanatos is great? Er, you make me nervous. I killed him off, and now I'm bound to get a million flames. Not that I have that many people reading this fic. Anywho, sorry! Oh, and I had faith in Qui-Gon, too … but only because I knew what was going to happen. :) I love how you had faith in him, though. Qui-Gon needs a bit of the stuff, though he _does_ deserve a little doubt, leaving Obi-Wan on Bandomeer like that. Pouts Nasty Master. Oh, I am so crazy. I wrote the thing and yet I'm still getting grumpy with Qui-Gon because of what he's done in the fic. Yep, mental. :) Anyway, guess I'd better go, now. Thanks for your review!

**coymelody:** Sorry I took so long to update! Hope you didn't actually go crazy. But then again, if you did you could just join me and we could write fics and go on crazy sprees together. Hey, it works for me. :) Anyway, back on topic. Thanks for you review! Oh, and "WELCOME!" to my review page. I love seeing new … I was going to say faces, but I don't actually know what anyone looks like. So, er, I love getting new pen-names! Anyway, thanks for your awesome review!

**Tiamath:** Early birthday … well, belated birthday now. I turned 18 on the 4th. Yay! Now I can legally write while I'm drunk:) Heh heh heh. Actually, that sounds that now I'm 18 I can write while I'm drunk, not the other way around. Meh, oh well. Doesn't matter at this time of night. Anyway, thanks a mill for the Happy Birthday! I actually thought of changing the ending of the story when I read you review. Maybe I should write an AU ending to my AU ending. Hmm, that would be an idea. It might stop all the Xanatos fans from trying to kill me … Anywho, thanks for your awesome review! Oh, and I've heard 'eh' a lot, but 'er' is one that stumps me. I think I'm the only person I've ever heard say it … and I picked it up from Harry Potter. Oh, I'm such a geek.

**i luv ewansmile: **You summed it up perfectly … the whole Qui-Gon's smiling at Obi-Wan, and he's smiling back. I hadn't really thought about it that much. I love it! Yay! Qui-Gon is such a dufus (sorry, I've been using that word a lot recently … my sister has got a chocolate Labrador puppy and it's slightly … er, silly. Anyway, it's become my favourite word, now). Qui-Gon finally gets it through his thick skull that Obi-Wan isn't like Xanatos and then drops his guard and … well, yeah. I'll stop now. Anywho, I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this update! I know, I'm slack :)! Anyway, thanks for your awesome review!

**Yasona Black:** I guess you're in a **Quandary**, then … about cliffies, that is. Oh, my lame joke just got worse. I didn't think it was possible. I hadn't seen you for a while … I thought I'd scared you off … one of my first reviewers! But, yay, I found you again:) No, seriously, it's nice to have you back, is all. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for your review!

**The Burninator Named Trogdor: **Oh, you are so going to kill me about Xanatos! Sorry, but I had this planned and written up for so long! Don't hurt me! cringes But I absolutely love your fic idea. I think I should email you and we should work out an awesome storyline. I love the fever idea. If there's anyone else reading these messages between Laura and I, the ideas are copywritten … copywrited … are they words? … you know what I mean … to Laura, so no stealing! Or else I'll hunt you down and give you my craziness. Grr! Sorry, back on topic. You gave me an idea with your hate vibes (and by the way, I did see them :) ) SUN, HOT, SWIMMING, BEACH … er, I can't think of any more words at the moment. But, did you feel the heat vibes? I hope they helped. Anyway, thanks for you ever-awesome and totally essay-length review:) I'll contact you.

**Cowgirl4Christ:** I had to look Maine up to see where you were from, and found out that Maine's state bird was a chickadee. I didn't know it was a real bird! I feel so stupid. Anyway, "WELCOME!" to my review page. It's nice to have you. Thankyou for your wonderful comments! I'm sorry I took so long to update.

**Geri K:** Another Aussie! We're definitely going to take over this website. ;D And you had awesome front-row seats for the fireworks. Cool! Not fair! Anywho, ta for the review!

**wyldcat:** Back to school … you poor thing! I've just started Uni, but I only have a few hours a week so far. Yay! I didn't know you were from Sydney, I just knew you were from good ol' NSW. I know, I know, I'm sorry … **another** cliffie! I just love them. Like I told Nelarun, I'm a cliffie junkie:) Anyway, as always, thanks for you wonderful review!

**Writer of all: **But you **have **reviewed every chapter! And I got your longest review for anything on any site? I'm speechless! Wow! That is so awesome! Really, I'm having trouble breathing while I type this! THANKYOU SO MUCH! Wow, I can't think of anything to write … and that's saying something … It's usually virtually impossible to shut me up:D I'm glad you liked the cliffie … I keep on being told that I'm evil for having such a horrible cliffie, so it's nice to hear that you enjoyed it! Anyway, thanks for your brilliant review, as ever!

**Fifilla:** I'm glad you like my fic. And you've been reading "The Death of All Hope"? Wow! Thanks! I know, I know, I'm evil about cliffies! ;D And I'm sorry I take so long to update, too! You're from Germany, too? Awesome. So is one of my other reviewers! Anyway, a big, warm and fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page! Thanks for the awesome comments!

**Kim:** I hope I didn't make you wait too long. I attempt to update often, but with trying to get organised for Uni, it ends up that I only get to post once a week! Meh. I'm so slack! I'm glad you liked reading the last chappie, though. And I think I owe you a warm "WELCOME!" to my review page!

**Jedi Master Kekelina:** Well, yet another warm "WELCOME!" :) I thought at first you were telling me that you were going to kill me, but then I realised that you were talking about Xanatos … whew! ;D I've already been threatened by a mob of rabid fans … and I didn't even know this fic had fans! I'm sorry about the late update, too! I can't believe how long it took me! Anyway, babbling on here. So tired. Anywho, thanks for your review! Hope you liked the update!

Okay, done now.

TTFN.

BaBaKaNuSh-13


	11. Chapter 10

**Title:** The Quandary  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh-13  
**Email:** Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)  
**Summary: **AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.  
**Rating:** PG/K+  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books  
**Archive:** Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.  
**Disclaimer:** The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

**A/N: **Well, here we are. The last chapter. I hope I haven't disappointed any of you with this fic (I don't know why I thought of saying that now, since it's actually finally finished. I can't really change the storyline even though I did change it a couple of weeks ago, and just decided to stick with this version this morning :) or anything, at this stage. Well, I could, but I'm too lazy to do that. I'm blabbering on again. I should have some sort of blabbering alarm around my neck, which zaps me every time I do it. My hair would end up being as spiky as Obi-Wan's is – even though mine's much longer. Ouch! That was my blabbering zapper going off again. I'd better quit while I'm ahead. Wow, look how much I just wrote, and it's all in brackets. Ouch!) .

Anyway, enough!

Enjoy.

**Dedication:** Once again, to **Writer of all**, who helped me get back on my horse after I fell off (well, not literally, of course – metaphorically). Anyway, thanks for your help and support! Oh, and I guess I should dedicate this to all my **reviewers**, too. Thanks to you guys, as well! Your support throughout this fic has really boosted my spirits and confidence, which often tends to wane without my permission for it to do so. Thanks!

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 10**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan drifted towards consciousness hazily. He was warm all over, he realised, and felt utterly weightless. He slowly opened his eyes to find that he was totally surrounded by, and covered in, a viscous pink liquid.

Startled, he realised that he was in a bacta tank.

Obi-Wan had only ever been in one once before, when he'd fallen off a balcony in the Temple gardens a few months ago. He'd wanted to prove to Garen that he could back flip off the railing into the lake, a good few metres away horizontally. Unfortunately, a Master had spotted him at the last minute, and had yelled at him to get down at once, breaking his concentration. He'd slipped off the balcony, wet from his already-dripping clothes, and had fallen the four stories to the ground. The only reason he had even survived, and was fortunately impermanently damaged, was the fact that he was a Jedi, and one with excellent reflexes.

Needless to say he'd been in a lot of trouble after that. And a lot of pain.

The young Jedi looked beyond his tank to the room around him. It was empty of any medics, but he wanted to get out. He felt stifled and hot, now, and needed fresh air. On the other side of the room, his readouts were flashing with each heartbeat, and a light indicated that he was conscious, yet no one came to check on him since there was no sign that he was in any trouble. If the breather covering his nose and mouth would have permitted it, Obi-Wan would have sighed, frustration welling up in his chest. He wanted to get out! _Now_!

As that irritated thought flashed through his mind, a tall figure walked calmly into the room. It took Obi-Wan a second glance for his mind to register who it was. But there was no mistaking the formidable presence of the reputable Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

Obi-Wan was sure that he'd only been imagining the man's presence on Bandomeer, that the whole situation when the Jedi Master had come to save him was merely a hallucination or a dream – no, more like a terrible, horrible nightmare.

It mustn't have been.

But that meant …

Oh Force, no …

He'd killed Xanatos.

He was a murderer.

He ducked his head so that the Master couldn't see his face.

It had been different when the pirates had attacked their cargo ship to Bandomeer, Obi-Wan thought. He had been saving more lives than he was killing, and he hadn't directly killed the pirates, hadn't seen their destruction. Even when he'd returned the stun bolt towards the whipids and they'd both fallen to their deaths off the cliff into the churning sea below, he hadn't actually intended for them to die. It had been an unfortunate accident. No less upsetting, but an accident, all the same.

But when he'd stabbed Xanatos with his lightsabre, it had been with intent. He'd had to stop the man … and he had run him through, been mere steps away when he'd done it, had seen the life leave the older man's cruel eyes as he gasped for every last breath.

Obi-Wan turned his face away from Qui-Gon's probing gaze, ashamed and filled with an all-consuming guilt.

Qui-Gon stepped up to the tank, nonetheless. "I'd expect that you'd be wanting to get out of there by now," he said softly with a slight smile, reaching out to slap his palm on the large, red button next to him to summon a Healer. Qui-Gon had felt the unshielded waves of frustration and impatience practically radiating off Obi-Wan through the bond they shared. Obviously the boy still hadn't noticed the link, yet. After a concussion Qui-Gon hadn't expected any less.

Qui-Gon stood back to give the Healer's access to the bacta tank and waited while they removed the boy, dried him off, and helped him dress into fresh clothes. Obi-Wan was still yet to meet his eyes since he'd walked in.

The young Jedi sat still through a check-up, and despite a little wooziness he would feel from the necessary sedation to be submerged in the bacta tank, combined with the after effects of his concussion, the Healers assured him that he would be fine to leave. So, Obi-Wan waited patiently for the papers which would release him from the infirmary, staring at his cleaned boots, unsure of how to acknowledge the presence of the older man in the room.

Qui-Gon could feel the turmoil in the boy and decided to speak up.

"I have to thank you, Obi-Wan, for saving me earlier."

Obi-Wan finally glanced up at Qui-Gon, but merely nodded his head before looking away again.

"You save me, too. We're even," he said neutrally.

There was a stretch of silence.

"Why are you here?" Obi-Wan finally blurted out. He suddenly looked shocked at his outburst, but Qui-Gon rushed to reassure him.

"It's okay, Obi-Wan," he said. "I felt that you were in danger, and came to Bandomeer to see if I could help you in any way," he explained.

Obi-Wan cocked his head to the side and looked at the older man curiously. Qui-Gon sighed and knew he would have to explain it further to Obi-Wan.

"We have a bond, Obi-Wan. Look for yourself."

The boy looked surprised, but obediently closed his eyes and stretched out with his Force-senses. A moment later, Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan tugging gently on his side of the bond. He smiled slightly.

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open. "I feel it."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes. As much as I wished to deny it, it has always been there, only it's stronger now."

Qui-Gon took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I've ignored many things, Obi-Wan – you, Yoda, the Force – but I can't run away anymore. I unwittingly called you Padawan in the mines, Obi-Wan, but it was only until I thought Xanatos was going to kill me that I realised it. You _are_ my Padawan, Obi-Wan, in everything but title. I'd denied it for so long, but I can't any longer.

"I would be honoured, Obi-Wan Kenobi, if you would be my Padawan Learner."

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply. He looked confused for a moment, and Qui-Gon was sure he would refuse after all he'd put the boy through.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, and Qui-Gon waited on baited breath for his answer, his stomach surprisingly twisting itself into a tangle of nervous knots.

"I would be my pleasure to be your Apprentice, Master," Obi-Wan said, smiling brilliantly for the first time in so long.

Qui-Gon grinned back – a true, relieved grin – and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Qui-Gon could feel Obi-Wan tugging on the weak, but ever-growing, bond as if for reassurance that it was really there – that this was _really _happening. Qui-Gon smiled slightly, and eventually broke the mutual silence, giving Obi-Wan's shoulder another encouraging pat.

"Well, Padawan, it looks like we'd better get you a haircut before we return to our first mission. King Sandrobar refused to begin the festivities until I returned to Riskala. I'm sure that he will be most pleased to welcome another guest."

Pushing aside the part of his conscience sternly that reminded his rebellious mind that they had other matters to deal with (such as the memorialistic funeral pyre for the tragic loss of his wayward former Apprentice, whose body now rested back at the Jedi Temple), Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan's sheer joy rippling through his mind – through the tenacious bond that linked him to this strong, talented, amazingly loyal and selfless boy.

Looking into his Padawan's youthfully beaming face, the boy's cerulean eyes finally lit up and swirling with excitement, Qui-Gon realised that he and Obi-Wan had a long journey ahead of them. He knew that it wouldn't always be an easy one, but he looked forward to every minute of it. He would have to talk to Obi-Wan, to help him come to terms with the death of Xanatos, and with everything that had happened to him. He could still feel the boy's uncertainty and guilt gently seeping across the bond, and would need to address it soon.

For a few days, however, they could afford to enjoy themselves as they embarked on their first and most important mission: of becoming Master and Apprentice.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

A happy ending! See, I'm not such a big meanie, after all. Besides the fact that I killed 4 characters. My ancients … er, I mean, my grandparents (nah, I love them, it's just what my sister and I call them since mum and dad are the olds) … thought I was cruel when they asked how many people I was going to kill in my story, when I told them I was writing one. They were only joking, but were, to say the least, a little shocked when I told them how many. I told them about the whole Xanatos situation and about his character and what he'd done, though, and they forgave me. :) My pa thinks it's hilarious.

Anyway, I think this is my last goodbye.

Well, not forever.

I'm currently writing another JA fic, The Death of All Hope, and another which I actually started before this one, but it's a novel-length, so it might not be out until the end of the year. If you wanted to read a small outtake of it, it's on my yahoo group. Just go to my profile page and click on "homepage." Also, I'm posting a very short one-shot JA fic, to explain Obi-Wan's balcony accident mentioned at the start of this chapter. And finally, I'm going to write a one-shot sequel to this. Just to tie up some loose ends.

So, I guess this is tootles, TTFN, ciao, whatever you want to say, it's still goodbye for this particular fic … and most of all: thankyou.

Also, thankyou to all those who were concerned about my grandmother. She thankfully died two weeks ago (which sounds terrible, but she had cancer and was in a lot of pain, so it was awful to see her like that), and we had her funeral last week. It was really nice.

Oh, and remember what I taught you: Read and Review Religiously! Religiously as in 'all the time,' you don't have to quote psalms to me from the bible, or anything. Unless you want to, of course, I'm not fussed :).

Okay, I'm waffling.

Oh, BTW, the length of my reply **doesn't** mean I like one of you more or less … you're all awesome! It just means that I have a tendency to ramble on with some topics, and those people with really long replies have had the unfortunate experience of hitting my weakness on the head with unnerving aim!

And, just so you know, all my wonderful readers and reviewers … **I LOVE YOU ALL!** (though I have to admit that I love reviewers more than just readers ;) Nothing personal, I just thrive on the feedback and the thought that you've taken up your free time to review as I have done to write this fic).

**Also, if everyone could tell me their favourite chapter, that would be awesome! Just because I'm curious. Chapters 8 and 5 seemed to be everyone's favourite, judging by the stats. I'm not sure, though, so it would be awesome if you could tell me. Thanks!**

To replies:

**wyldcat:** Uni can be really hard. Argh! It is now. At the moment I'm skipping a class to write this … whoops! I have so many things due at the moment and I'm so stressed out, but I just HAD to write this now:) Hope all your assessments went okay at school. I hate assessments … teachers always pop them on you at the last minute. And I'm really not an organised person, so I just don't cope! Anyway, thanks for your support with this fic, and hope to hear from you in the future! All the best.

**Sithspawned:** I'm glad one person liked me killing Xanatos … lol! He has such a following out there in the Star Wars universe! ;D And killing him did solve things really well, didn't it? So, thanks for your awesome review, and support of my fic! All the best. Oh, and I don't know if I've told you this before, but if I have, I'll mention it again … I LOVE your penname! It's awesome!

**Nathalia Potter:** That would be awful for Jane! Euck! Pregnant on one of those old, barely-sea-worthy ships! Poor thing! Well, I have ancestors from everywhere (all over the UK and Sweden, at least), but I know that some were convicts and my some-number-of-greats-grandfather was one of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion. That's all I know. And don't worry about bragging … I always brag to people that I'm related to Banjo Patterson (it's true, but I still like to show off :D) and apparently to Ned Kelly, but I'm not sure if that last one's true. It's just what my Nan told me, and I think she might be making it up:) Anyway, thanks for reviewing! All the best.

**Cowgirl4Christ: **Glad you liked it! And glad you liked Qui-Gon in this chapter … he can be so frustrating, sometimes – especially in this fic. But, I forgive him now, after this chappie. :) So, hoped you like the ending! And I agree with you about the emotion thing … I couldn't even imagine having to kill someone! And watching someone die would be awful. I'm just glad that they don't have the death penalty in Australia … I don't think anyone deserves to be killed – I think it would be much more punishment if they were just left to rot in jail. Anyway, I'll hastily get off the very controversial topic now :). All the best, and thanks for your support! Oh, and your reaction to one more chapter made me all warm and fuzzy inside … I can't tell you how much. Thankyou!

**Ann Jinn:** Suspense … I love suspense, so I'm glad you appreciated it:) Hmm, I actually based Obi-Wan's shock on what I've felt before when I've been hurt. It's really disorientating and you have no idea what's going on around you. You don't know what you're saying and what others are saying to you, and it feels like everything is happening to someone else. Wow, I'm rambling now! Oh, and thankyou for your about my grandmother, it was much appreciated. Anyway, thanks for your support of this fic! All the best. Oh, and "WELCOME!"

**Master Kaym:** Lurking is no good:) I'm glad you come out of it, though. It was awesome to get your review! I'm glad you like this fic, too. Thankyou so much! I love hearing from everybody. So, thanks for coming out of lurking and for reviewing! Much appreciated! All the best.

**whatevergirl:** Thanks, I was getting worried about my mental state:) and I'm glad you forgave me about Xanatos … I'd hate to lose you at this stage! And I LOVE your faith in Qui-Gon … it's very refreshing. Anyway, I always love getting your reviews, so thankyou so much! So, all the best, and thanks a billion for your support! And thankyou SO much for reviewing both editions of the chapter! I really appreciate it! And I'm glad you liked both. :) All the best.

**coymelody:** Hope you weren't late on my behalf! I'd feel really really bad about it! Sorry if you were! Sorry it took so long for me to get this out, too. Hope you forgive me :) I'm a bit hopeless if you hadn't noticed it yet ;D. Anyway, thanks for your brilliant review an your support, and, as always, all the best!

**Writer of all: **I'm glad you liked this! I love hearing from you, as you already knew! Sorry about the long wait for the update, and thankyou so much for your continuing help and support! Hope to hear from you soon! Talk to you later! Oh, and thank you so much for reviewing both chapters and … well, for everything!

**Nelarun:** thanks! Yes, I made sure Obi-Wan was alright … though for a moment there I changed the storyline so that he wasn't … aren't I evil? It was a good storyline, though, but it meant that I would then have to write a sequel, and I didn't know if I had it in me. So, glad you've been reading and reviewing this fic, hope you liked it, and all the best. Thanks for your brilliant support!

**Fifilla:** Yay, he is okay! And no, thankYOU for your support of my fic … it was great hearing from you. And thankyou SO much for your review of my second-take of the chapter. I was so excited when I read it! I'm glad you liked it even better. And I was happy with it, thankyou :). I must say, thankyou once again for all your marvellous support of this story, and all the best.

**The Burninator Named Trogdor:** I'm sorry! cringes I knew you'd be upset with me:( sorry. I'd planned this so long ago, and as I was re-editing the last few chapters, I was literally cringing when I thought about what it would do to you. Sorry. I truly do love getting your reviews, though … I really look forward to them! And I LOVED your ideas for salvaging this story … they were brilliantly inspired:D So, can't wait to begin the story, but I know what you mean about falling out of fanfiction. I haven't been around much either, and when I have been … well, I'll just say that I TOTALLY understand what you mean about stressed:) Well, I hope some things are clearing up for you now, and I hope you did well on your AP tests (even though I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know what AP test are!), I'm sure you did. And thankyou for what you said about rewriting. You made me feel heaps better about it. :) thankyou so much for all your constant support. Hope you feel better. returns the hug. That made me feel better, thankyou. :) Oh, and thanks for reviewing both versions of the chappie! All the best!

**Child-of-the-Dawn:** I'm glad that was okay. Mush? I don't think I achieved it, but I hope you liked this story anyway. I'm not very good at mush. Sorry. :) So, every review from you has been a pleasure to read, and you have such awesomely positive spirit in each one! Thanks for the constant support of this fic, and all the best!

**des: **A big, fuzzy warm "WELCOME!" to my review page! Thankyou for your review. I know, I take a long time to update, but life's been a bit hectic these last couple of months, so I hope you'll accept my sincerest apologies. And I hope you enjoyed this fic, and the ending to it. Well, the part-ending. I've currently written an outtake of Obi-Wan's balcony accident and am writing a tying up of loose ends sequel. So, I'm really blabbering on now. Anyway, thanks for reviewing! All the best.

**Justice of the People: **You changed you name! Aw, I like this name heaps, too, but I absolutely LOVED Bloody Dead Rose. :D Ah, well. I do have to say, though, that you have a unique sound to your pennames … and that's a good thing, I just can't describe it. You come up with awesome names. Anyway, wonderful ideas with Xanatos' body – the concept of it made me tingle, and you can't even imagine how tempted I was to change the story line to adapt it. However, I've been going on too long with this fic, which was meant to posted really quickly, so I'm afraid I realised that, although brilliant, I just couldn't make it work. Thankyou, though. And thanks for your spiffing (I LOVE that word, and so I had to use it even though it doesn't really fit into the sentence!) reviews, as always. Thankyou so much! All the best. Oh, and thankyou so much for reviewing both chapters, it was much appreciated. I understand what you mean about Obi-Wan and Xanatos being so different and similar at the same time … I guess it came down to their choices, as to who they turned out to be, though – yes, I do read too much Harry Potter, if you were wondering:) Thankyou so much for your sympathies. It wasn't really that hard for me when she died, though. It was so much better to know that she was in peace, rather than suffering. Anyway, thankyou once again!

**Galimeril:** I'm sorry to hear about your losses. It's hard, I know, I've lost many in my family to cancer, too. Thankyou for your sympathies, they were much appreciated and welcomed. My grandmother died two weeks ago, although I see it as a mercy, since she was in so much pain and couldn't even recognise my mum in the final stages of her life. Anyway, I'll change the morbid topic, and say "WELCOME!" and thankyou so much. Your review really touched me, and I'm glad that you like the fic. And again, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. Hope you're okay. All the best.

**i** **luv ewansmile:** Delicious … aww, thanks! I'm all fuzzy inside, now! I'm going to miss this story, too, just because I love hearing what all you guys think of it. Aww, I'm really all fuzzy and mushy inside! Thanks … I'm speechless, I don't know what to say! Just know that I'm eternally grateful for your wonderful review! Thanks for your constant support of this story, and … just thankyou! All the best.

**Holiday** **From Real:** Flute? I loved your review, though I must admit that I'm a little worried :). I'm glad you like this fic. It's nice hearing from you. Thankyou so much for reviewing, and I have to say a big, warm, fuzzy, "WELCOME!" to my review page. Feel free to make yourself at home, as long as you promise not to try and bash my head in anymore! Lol! Thanks. All the best!

Anyway, tootles!

BaBaKaNuSh-13


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